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24 Jan 2012: Geoengineering Scheme
Could Boost Crop Production, Study Says

Spraying particles into the stratosphere to help cool the planet could increase crop yields in most regions of the world, but could also introduce unintended risks, according to a new study. In a paper published in

Thinking the Unthinkable:
Engineering Earth’s Climate

Last year, a U.S. panel urged more research into proposals to manipulate the climate to slow global warming. Jane C. S. Long, the group’s chairwoman, explains why we need to know more about the possibilities and perils of geoengineering.
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the online journal Nature Climate Change, researchers used computer models to test the effects of adding sulfate aerosols to the stratosphere to deflect some sunlight from reaching the Earth — one of many so-called geoengineering schemes proposed to reduce global warming. The study said the technique would likely improve crop yields, since it would reduce some of the climate change effects most harmful to plants — including excessive heat — while allowing the plants to benefit from higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, the study found that the process could increase political conflict and would do nothing to alleviate the effects of ocean acidification. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is likely a safer option than geoengineering to avert risks to global food security," said Julia Pongratz of the Carnegie Institution for Science and lead author of the study.

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