Researchers assess the effects of the rapid implementation, continuation and sudden termination of geoengineering on climate velocities, in a new study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Prof. John Shepherd FRS, Emeritus Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Southampton, said:
“Any rapid change of climate will make life difficult for species that cannot adapt or move quickly, whatever the cause. It has long been recognised that very rapid warming could occur if solar reflection geoengineering were ever to be deployed and then suddenly stopped; and that would create problems for people, plants and animals. To avoid rapid changes, it is necessary to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as fast as possible, to minimise the magnitude of any geoengineering that might be deployed, and to phase it out only gradually.”
* ‘Potentially dangerous consequences for biodiversity of solar geoengineering implementation and termination’ by Christopher H. Trisos et al. published in Nature Ecology and Evolution on Monday 22 January.
Declared interests
None received.