Solar Geoengineering: What You Need to Know

Science for the Public: Contemporary Science Issues & Innovations
September 24, 2024 Forum Network webinar

Daniel J. Cziczo, Ph.D., Professor, Dept of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Purdue University

The alarming acceleration of global warming is a grave threat to all forms of life. The only viable solution is the reduction and removal of the excess greenhouse gases --atmospheric CO2 and methane-- produced chiefly by fossil fuels.

This requires immediate transition to renewable energy, combined with removal of atmospheric CO2. But there is a move to delay that transition by means of solar geoengineering. This approach involves the release of chemical particles high in the atmosphere that will shade the Sun. It does not eliminate the CO2 buildup.

Solar geoengineering introduces serious risks that must be explained by responsible scientists. Daniel Cziczo, a prominent atmospheric scientist specializing in the vital role of clouds in climate dynamics, explains the global warming threat and the risks involved in solar geoengineering.

Dr. Cziczo's extensive field research includes working with NASA’s Dynamic and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) where his team collects data from the nose of the ER-2 aircraft during the North American monsoon season. He is also involved with atmospheric research with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas (AEROMMA) mission which conducts research onboard a DC-8 plane dubbed "the world’s largest flying chemistry laboratory."

Dan Cziczo has received numerous awards, and was named a 2023 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) International Excellence Fellow.

Times of India 08/2024 interviews Dr. Cziczo
‘We Humans Have Altered Clouds — These Are Not the Same Now as in the Pre-Industrial Era’
(note: clouds are a major factor in climate)