Consistent with their position that greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming, the Royal Society (United Kingdom) is soliciting submissions to "moderate climate change by deliberate large-scale intervention in the working of the Earth's natural climate system." http://royalsociety.org/downloaddoc.asp?id=5845
Both organizations and individuals are invited to submit -- by 11 December 2008 -- their views on, so called, climate geoengineering. The Royal Society has announced a working group with Professor John Shepherd as the chair to complete this major study by next summer.
The scope of the study includes all schemes under two main technologies:
1) Greenhouse gas reduction schemes
a) Removal of CO2 (and other greenhouse gases (GHGs)) from the atmosphere or oceans
i) Methods utilizing terrestrial biological systems
ii) Methods utilizing oceanic biological systems
iii) Methods using non-biological or engineered biological systems (chemical/biochemical
engineering etc)
b) Novel ways to prevent CO2 (and other GHGs) from entering the atmosphere and oceans.
i) Methods involving engineered biological systems
ii) Methods using non-biological systems (chemical engineering approaches)
2) Albedo modification (shortwave reflection/deflection) schemes
a) Surface-based schemes (land or ocean albedo modification)
b) Troposphere-based schemes (cloud modification schemes, etc)
c) Upper atmosphere schemes (tropopause and above, i.e. stratosphere, mesosphere)
d) Space-based schemes.
Shepherd explained on the record: "Our study aims to separate the science from the science fiction and offer recommendations on which options deserve serious consideration." The Royal Society report is scheduled for publication by the middle of 2009.
