What Is Geoengineering?

Geoengineering is the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change.

There is wide range of proposed geoengineering techniques. Generally, these can be grouped into two categories:

Solar Radiation Management (SRM) or Solar Geoengineering

SRM techniques aim to reflect a small proportion of the Sun’s energy back into space, counteracting the temperature rise caused by increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which absorb energy and raise temperatures. Some proposed techniques include:

Albedo enhancement . Increasing the reflectiveness of clouds or the land surface so that more of the Sun’s heat is reflected back into space.

. Increasing the reflectiveness of clouds or the land surface so that more of the Sun’s heat is reflected back into space. Space reflectors . Blocking a small proportion of sunlight before it reaches the Earth.

. Blocking a small proportion of sunlight before it reaches the Earth. Stratospheric aerosols. Introducing small, reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect some sunlight before it reaches the surface of the Earth.

Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) or Carbon Geoengineering

GGR techniques aim to remove carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, directly countering the increased greenhouse effect and ocean acidification. These techniques would have to be implemented on a global scale to have a significant impact on greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. Some proposed techniques include: