Is Geo-Engineering climate’s messiah?

The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE) has published a report claiming that geo-engineering could help “clean up the mess” of climate change.

Geo-engineering, the artificial manipulation of the earth’s environment, could have an important role to play in the fight against global warming, the report claims.

IMECHE’s 100 year roadmap for fighting climate change includes reflective structure technologies to reflect heat from cities, as well as artificial trees and algae coated buildings to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The report also calls for further development of electric vehicles, smart super-grids to increase global electricity production, and purpose built renewable energy plants to power the artificial trees.

“Our report is exciting, innovative and novel,” said Dr Tim Fox, lead author.

“For the first time we really examine some of practical initiatives we could adopt to essentially clean up the mess we have made.

“After decades of failed mitigation, geo-engineering may give us those extra few years to transition to a low carbon world and prevent any one of the future climate change scenarios we all fear.

“This report has been produced with input from our young engineers and we hope it inspires fellow young engineers and scientists to work in the MAG sector and shape the future of our planet. After all, our future is the next generation.”

IMECHE proposes five recommendations for further developing geo-engineering.

These are government funding; establishing a geo-engineering research facility; piloting geo-engineering technologies, putting together a realistic roadmap for decarbonising the global economy, and encouraging private investment in geo-engineering.

Environmental campaign groups criticised the report as an attempt to direct funding away from existing solutions to climate change.

“We can’t afford to wait for magical geo-engineering solutions to get us out of the hole we have dug ourselves into,” said Mike Childs, of Friends of the Earth.

“The solutions that exist now, such as a large-scale energy efficiency programme and investment in wind, wave and solar power, can do the job if we deploy them at the scale and urgency that is needed.”