In this report, I would like to delve in the possibilities to mitigate the effects of the climate change. According to the climate models constructed by scientists in order to assess the background of extreme weather conditions in summer 2018 in Europe, the link between the influence of climate change caused by human activity and the extreme events was showed (1). Let's think what can be done to prevent such events in the future. The primary aim of such prevention methods would be reducing the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

One set of solutions would be so-called "geoengineering", that means deliberately changing the conditions either on the Earth surface or the atmosphere, to lessen the effects of global warming (2). Under this term we can differentiate two separate approaches: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management (3). The second attempt may include, for instance, spraying reflective aerosols in the atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunshine getting to the Earth surface (4). However, such attempts cause often moral dilemmas whether people should affect the environment at such a large scale. Furthermore, it is also very difficult to assess whether any side effect will be observed and whether such actions will influence other elements of the world (5).

Another solution in this area of solar radiation management might be cultivating specific plant species, which will reflect the high proportion of incoming sunlight, preventing it from reaching the Earth surface. However, such endeavor would require the use of land, sometimes required for the provision of food. On the other hand, it would be possible to plant edible plants, which will be highly-reflective (6).

One of the possible solutions of carbon-dioxide removal includes using new technologies like carbon capture technologies. One example of such approach is called bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, which is about growing plants, that will take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere thanks to photosynthesis. Afterwards, these plants can be used as a biomass in the energy production process. Produced carbon dioxide in burning those plants could be stored in geological formation afterwards, which will in turn decrease its amount present in the atmosphere (7). Although this approach is regarded as one with the greatest potential, many researchers warn that deforestation could be necessary to obtain enough land both for agriculture purposes and such bio-energy production (8). This will affect the efficiencies of the undertaken measures to decrease the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Carbon capture can be also does not have to include the step of energy production. Using specific materials which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may also contribute to the decrease of its volume in the atmosphere (9).

One of the other solutions, which does not require any specific technological advances, is simply planting more trees which will capture carbon dioxide in their structure (10), while preserving the soil, providing shade, habitat for animals and a place for people to have contact with nature.

There are number of different approaches that can be implemented to help our planet. The above-mentioned examples are just an introduction into the vast array of possibilities which technology and engineering provide. It can be also noticed that helping the environment can be done with a great help of innovations, but simple tasks, like planting trees, will have a profound impact in the environment. Each of us should do our best to decrease the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Whether it is replacing a car with a bike, recycling or saving energy, our everyday decisions may have a profound impact. Incorporating both technology and our everyday decisions will have the best effect on our world.

 

References:

(1)  "Heatwave in northern Europe, summer 2018", https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/attribution-of-the-2018-heat-in-northern-europe/

(2)  "Climate engineering", https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/climate_engineering.htm

(3)  "Climate engineering", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_engineering

(4)  "Stratospheric aerosol injection", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injection_(climate_engineering)

(5)  "Geoengineering: ethical problems cleaning air climate change", https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/06/geoengineering-ethical-problems-cleaning-air-climate-change

(6)   "Crop albedo geoengineering: plant albino sugar beet and have a 1 degree cooler summer",http://www.bitsofscience.org/crop-albedo-geoengineering-1082/,

(7)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio-energy_with_carbon_capture_and_storage

(8) "Land-use emissions play a critical role in land-based mitigation for Paris climate targets", https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05340

(9)  "New Material Eats Carbon Dioxide 1,000 Times Better than Trees", https://bigthink.com/ideafeed/pull-carbon-dioxide-from-the-air

(10)        "HOW PLANTING A TRILLION TREES CAN HELP REVERSE CLIMATE CHANGE", http://www.trilliontreescampaign.org/why-trees/climate/