6) GEOENGINEERNG

The author feels that geoengineering is one of the only way of reducing the effects caused by excessive release of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere, global warming. He also believes that the only feasable way of doing so is to relaease large amounts of sulphur debris into the atmosphere to form a haze that would keep the planet cool.

I agree with the author to a certain extent. It is quite alarming that all the ice in the artic could melt by as early as 2013. Thus action has to be taken quickly as the melting of the ice could lead to major problems such as flooding due to the rise in sea level and the extinction of artic animals such as the polar bear that cannot survive in high temperatures. Since countries find it hard to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emmissions and find it very expensive to decarbonize the atmosphere, the only relatively cheap and possible way would be the releasing of sulphurous debris to reduce earths temperature.

However, the release of sulphur in to the atmosphere can be very dangerous. Sulphur is very poisonous and can pollute the air. This can cause harmful effects, especially on people. when inhaled by people can cause respiratory problems such as asthma. In the form of sulphur dioxide, sulphur can also dissolve in rainwater to form acid rain which is highly corrosive.

This article really shows us what people's complacency has brought us to. We are now faced in a situation where we do not have enough time to solve the problem of global warming in the safest possible manner, decarbonizing, as ice is melting fast but our only fast enough alternative, releasing sulphur, endangers our health. Thus we are now facing a two-way problem; one, the lack of time and the other, compromising our health.

The Kyoto Protocol had been signed more than a decade ago, already warning people of the dangers of global warming and urging them to start taking action in protecting the environment. However, due to greed and complacency very little started to act. This has led us to where we are today. At least from this very moment, people should start acting consciously in protecting the environment and maybe the situation can still be salvaged. After all its better late then never.