The symptom of global warming is not the sole long term concern of climate change. We already have the tools to reverse global warming. I wager that a poor country with most of its GDP within 5 feet of 2021 sea level will unilaterally decide to stop global warming in the next 50 years. Maybe it's not a logical move, maybe it's already too late to save their cities, maybe it won't stop millions from dying of heat or famine, but it will be the politically savvy move of the leaders of desperate people. The decision won't be made by a bunch of rich people sitting around a nice clean table in an air conditioned room in the US or EU. The political backlash of not asking permission weighs far less than not doing it.
What does this pandora's box prospect really mean for the future? If not handled carefully then we may face even more serious ecological collapse (a la Snowpiercer). I don't think that's very likely. I think we'll see a more tempered implementation that will take a while to cool the planet. That meets the political demands of the desperate people while trying to appease the angry neighbors. The ice caps will still melt, the sea level will still rise 10 feet, and we'll still likely face ecological collapse from half a dozen different directions.
Which directions we care about most will start to matter. Should we not even bother talking about them today since us, as rich air conditioned folks wouldn't even consider the option of reflective particles in the atmosphere? Or should we face the real possibility and begin planning contingencies for it?
What does this pandora's box prospect really mean for the future? If not handled carefully then we may face even more serious ecological collapse (a la Snowpiercer). I don't think that's very likely. I think we'll see a more tempered implementation that will take a while to cool the planet. That meets the political demands of the desperate people while trying to appease the angry neighbors. The ice caps will still melt, the sea level will still rise 10 feet, and we'll still likely face ecological collapse from half a dozen different directions.
Which directions we care about most will start to matter. Should we not even bother talking about them today since us, as rich air conditioned folks wouldn't even consider the option of reflective particles in the atmosphere? Or should we face the real possibility and begin planning contingencies for it?