Author urges a paradigm shift on climate-change policy

    LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a fleet of vessels spreading
iron dust into the seas to spur the growth of huge crops of plankton, which in
turn consume tons of carbon dioxide, the primary gas responsible for the
greenhouse effect.  This is a radical example of a proposal to offset global
warming through innovative technical fixes, according to Climate Controls, an
article in the November issue of Reason magazines.
    As negotiators from around the world prepare to meet in Kyoto to work out
an international treaty to deal with the rising global temperatures observed
by many scientists, major participants argue that the only way to address
global warming is to reduce levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases.  But there may be more effective ways to cure the problem without
imposing the economic hardships likely to result from dramatic cutbacks in
emissions and fuel use, according to author Gregory Benford, a professor of
physics at the University of California at Irvine.
    "Now is the time to take seriously the concept of 'geoengineering,' of
consciously altering atmospheric chemistry and conditions, of mitigating the
effects of greenhouse gases rather than simply calling for their reduction or
outright prohibition," says Benford.  In a little-noticed 1992 report, the
National Academy of Sciences studied mitigation proposals, finding them to
have a relatively low implementation cost.
    Not all of the proposed technical solutions are as controversial as iron-
dumping ships.  "An easy, although limited, way to remove carbon dioxide is to
grow plants -- preferably trees, since they tie up more of the gas in
cellulose, meaning it will not return to the air for many years," says
Benford.  "About half of the U.S. carbon dioxide emissions could be captured
if we grew tree crops on economically marginal croplands and pasture.  These
forests would also enhance biodiversity, wildlife, and water quality."
    "Another way to cool the planet is to reflect more sunlight back into
space, before it heats up the earth and the atmosphere," says Benford.  "We
could compensate for the warming effect of all greenhouse gas emissions since
the Industrial Revolution by reflecting less than 1 percent more of the
sunlight."  This could be achieved by installing white roofs on homes and
buildings, using lighter colored pavement for roads and parking lots, or, even
more dramatically, by spreading dust in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight
before it reaches the earth, Benford says.
    "Of course the concept of geoengineering may seem outlandish at first
blush," acknowledges Benford.  "But geoengineering merely recognizes
explicitly what everyone already understands: that human activity has an
impact on the planet."
    Benford calls for a series of well-controlled, reversible experiments on a
local scale to learn more about the effectiveness and unintended consequences
of these proposals before proceeding at a global level.
    "We may find these ideas to be more practical and less expensive than the
draconian proposals on the agenda at Kyoto," Benford says.  "It might take
only a few billion dollars to mitigate the U.S. emission of carbon dioxide.
Compared with stopping people in China from burning coal, this is nothing."
    Reason (http://www.reason.com) is a monthly magazine of political and social
commentary based in Los Angeles.

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