Solar Geoengineering

Solar geoengineering is the deliberate attempt to make Earth reflect slightly more sunlight. In Taking the shine off: albedo and global temperatures, Oliver Morton introduces it after explaining Albedo Feedback, Aerosol Cooling Masking, and the rising Earth Energy Imbalance.

The source’s specific reference is Paul Crutzen’s 2006 proposal to place reflective sulphate particles higher in the atmosphere, trying to preserve some cooling effect while avoiding the direct health burden of low-level sulphur pollution. Morton says he is not a fan of geoengineering and frames it as controversial, not a substitute for emissions cuts or Carbon Removal.

Key Claims

• Solar geoengineering responds to warming by changing reflectivity rather than by directly removing greenhouse gases.
• The sulphate-aerosol version borrows from the observed cooling effect of pollution while trying to change where the particles sit.
• The source treats the idea as a high-stakes governance question because aerosol masking will fade as polluted places clean their air.

Connections

• Paul Crutzen, Oliver Morton, Aerosol Cooling Masking, Albedo Feedback, and Earth Energy Imbalance - source mechanism and proposal.
• Carbon Removal, Climate Adaptation, and Carbon Removal Moral Hazard - adjacent climate-response and moral-hazard pages.