This, the scientists predict, could spell disaster for many animals and ecosystems. “The list of potential unintended ecological consequences from geoengineering is long, and we’ve only just scratched the surface,” said Trisos.Added Amatulli: “Any potential error can be extremely unpredictable, as well. Therefore, strong and effective regulations on emissions reduction with involvement of personnel at all levels remains the most important alternative currently for reducing carbon emission.”For this research Amatulli implemented a scripting procedure using open source codes to allow full reproducibility of the research. The complete analyses, he said, can be used to conduct other related research, such as the potential consequences to agricultural productivity or on the urban heat island phenomenon.

Trisos, Christopher H.; Amatulli, Giuseppe; Gurevitch, Jessica; Robock, Alan; Xia, Lili; and Zambri Brian. 2018. “Potentially dangerous consequences for biodiversity of solar geoengineering implementation and termination.” Nature Ecology & Evolution. 10.1038/s41559-017-0431-0