The advantages and disadvantages of reducing solar radiation for global warming

Faced with global warming, people have proposed measures such as saving energy consumption, reducing the use of fossil energy, and increasing the use of renewable energy resources to achieve carbon emission reduction measures. However, the climate scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Bristol Research Group in the United Kingdom have found that the simplest way to reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth or stop the global climate change.

University of Bristol graduate student Peter. Alvin and Penn State University’s Global University Network research project participants stated that basic physics and past observations tell people that reducing solar energy’s arrival on Earth’s net flow will reduce the Earth’s atmospheric temperature. However, when the solar radiation is reduced, the air temperature on the surface of the Earth responds more quickly and the response at sea level is much slower.

Reducing solar radiation to control global warming is cheaper At present, ways to control solar radiation include sheltering the sun from satellites, letting the sun reflect more sunlight on the surface of the earth, or placing aerosol particles in the upper atmosphere to simulate the effects of volcanic eruptions. Pennsylvania State Klaus Kohler, an associate professor of geological science at the university, believes that these ways of controlling solar radiation are cheaper than responding to global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

In general, the effectiveness of the above approach to reduce solar energy reaching the Earth in preventing sea level rise or reducing the temperature of the Earth's surface air depends on how people implement these methods. Ryan Shroff, a research associate at Penn State University’s geological sciences, said that there are differences between what is designed to reverse the upward trend in sea levels and how it is used to limit the rate of temperature change.

In order to prevent the rise of the sea level or reverse the upward trend, people need to rapidly reduce the amount of solar radiation to the earth. However, the rapid decrease in the amount of radiation will lead to a sudden drop in the earth's atmospheric temperature. If a more gradual approach is adopted, although the harm caused by rapid cooling can be reduced, sea levels should be allowed to rise appropriately.

The researchers warned that people living near the sea level are more concerned with rising sea levels than with the rate of change of air temperature on the Earth’s surface. In contrast, people living far away from the sea are more concerned about the rate of temperature increase affecting agricultural production or energy consumption.

The sudden drop in temperature may have a negative impact on Earth's biology. However, the researchers emphasized that controlling the amount of solar radiation is not a flawless alternative to emission reduction, and they have risks that deserve consideration. Before considering these approaches, you should fully understand its negative effects.

Applying analytics to control the relationship between sea level rise and air temperature conversion rates, the researchers simulated 120 different scenarios that have different combinations of solar radiation control, which also includes the natural way in which human society is now (in steps) The situation of development, that is, the case of not using solar radiation control means. They stated that the analytical model takes many similar treatments, for example, the model does not include the mechanical characterization of the glaciers. In addition, researchers have not simulated scenarios that combine control of solar radiation and CO2 reduction.

Researchers in the newly published "Nature. An article published in Climate Change magazine believes that the mandatory prevention of sea level rise may lead to a rapid decline in temperature, and the rate of temperature decrease is equivalent to the highest rate of temperature increase in society's step-by-step development. Kohler said that the sudden drop in temperature may sound like a good idea, but its harm may exceed the harm caused by global warming caused by carbon emissions. Srifu said that if the rate of temperature decline exceeds the degree to which plants and animals on Earth can adapt, then it will be a problem that people need to face.

In addition, the long-term effects and effects of these methods need to be considered when implementing solar radiation control methods. The researchers found that after the termination of solar radiation control, the rate of increase of the earth's air temperature was five times higher than the maximum rate of increase in the temperature of human society. Therefore, in order to avoid mutations, the termination process of solar radiation control may take several decades.