What is geoengineering and is it a solution to climate problems?

The Netherlands grapples with climate targets

The series of recommendations presented by Minister Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) last week show that much more green energy will be needed by 2030 than will be available by then. Meeting the new climate target of 55-60% CO2 reduction requires nearly twice as much electricity as previously thought.

The massive investments planned to increase the number of offshore wind farms and generate more green energy on land are insufficient to meet this demand. Nitrogen emissions issues also proved to be greater than expected. Despite all the cabinet promises, it will likely come down to farmers being bought out on a massive scale.

The ambitious targets set by the government in the 2019 climate agreement are becoming increasingly difficult. It makes the search for other options to manage the climate crisis more and more urgent.

Turn the Earth Thermostat

In recent years, there has been growing scientific interest in what geo-engineering Where climatic engineering is called. In short, scientists want to turn up the Earth’s thermostat. Geoengineering is the large-scale intervention in Earth’s natural systems using techniques and technologies. Could scientists possibly reverse the average global temperature with technology?

Herman Russchenberg, professor of atmospheric research at TU Delft, thinks so. He sees roughly two ways to achieve this: “You can reflect sunlight, which cools the earth. Or removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere so more heat can escape.