Geoengineering schemes to combat climate change still risky, say reports

Dramatic reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases are essential to help mitigate the effects of climate change, according to two reports issued last week by the National Research Council of the US National Academy of Sciences. Written by a 22-strong committee, the reports argue that removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is the most promising approach to tackle climate change, but conclude that the use of geoengineering to reduce the amount of solar energy that reaches the atmosphere is too risky. That type of geoengineering, the reports state, should instead be restricted to small-scale experiments rather than full deployment.