A Bright Idea or Not?
Geoengineering (also called climate engineering) aims to modify the atmosphere or the ocean in order to fight climate change. Some of the tools are “designed to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, a step that, along with drastic emissions cuts, scientists agree will be essential for limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Others—such as cloud brightening—don’t counter the drivers of climate change, but aim to limit warming.” These tools act to change the workings of the planet. Sometimes just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.
We Could Always Restore Natural Habitats
Geoengineering experiments can unsettle the public. Many people worry that altering Earth’s systems to address the climate crisis assumes we understand those systems well enough to change them safely. Ecologist Thomas Crowther says one solution avoids disrupting the planet’s natural processes: restoring natural habitats. He says, “The restoration of natural habitats like forests is an exception in our climate toolkit because it draws on the same network of connections that allowed life to flourish in the first place.”
Carbon Sinks
Restoring forests creates carbon sinks (anything that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it lets out), allowing ecosystems and their communities to flourish. A good example of this is mangroves. The restoration of mangroves in southwest India created a carbon sink while protecting 12 coastal villages from erosion and also improving the productivity of the local fisheries.
