Researchers ask how best to engineer the planet

Technology News (Nov 1 2009) Fossil Fuel

1. A group of academics on Friday considered the ultimate engineering challenge: building machines to stabilize the earth's climate. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology convened a symposium here to discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of geoengineering, also called climate engineering. Everything from shooting light-blocking particles into the atmosphere to "artificial trees" is being seriously studied, despite trepidation among researchers and opposition from others. During talks Friday morning, academics said climate engineering techniques are not well understood and, because of the complexity of the global climate system, individual approaches are pockmarked with uncertainties. (Read Full Article)

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