Weird science: Consider geoengineering to fight global warming.

At an unprecedented conference in northern California, a group of climate scientists and officials from several countries met to discuss how to utilize geoengineering to fight global warming.

"Geoengineering" is a blanket term used to curtail the effect of global warming. However, not very many scientists believe that it is a good idea to mess with the world's climate. But some scientist believe that this may be a bad idea, "a bad idea whose time has come."

There are some risks involved in manipulating Earth's climate and the researchers say the geoengineering option should be used in worst case scenario, if there is no other reasonable solution available.

The geoenginering scientists believe that the issues involved need to be brought out for public discussion also. Many of the ideas presented may look like science fiction than solid science now. But should still be looked at to get some sense of the options available before some disaster strike us.

Some measure involve so-called solar radiation management - slightly dimming the amount of sunlight reaching Earth to create a cooling effect that would cancel out global warming from greenhouse gases. These ideas include shooting reflective particles into the upper atmosphere or creating "microbubbles" in ocean water that would act as a giant mirrors to reflect more sunlight back into space.

"Artificial trees" could absorb CO2 just as real trees do and store it underground. Or perhaps real tree species would be genetically altered to be super efficient CO2 suckers.

One idea, seeding the world's ocean with iron particles to promote the growth of CO2-gobbling algae, has become an early example of how unintended problems could arise. A new study shows that adding iron may favor growth of a type of algae that is toxic to humans.

Scientists working on geoengineering ideas insis they should only be used hand in hand with cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, not as a substitute. But opponents worry that geoengineering will be seen as a cop-out, a way to continue coal and oil burning., with geoengineering supplying an easy future fix.

 Since the entire world would be affected, an international agreement should govern any use of geoengineering.

Source:The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor.