Geoengineering: should we or shouldn't we?

Stratospheric aerosol injection is back in the news. A startup just did an unauthorized small-scale test. Let's talk about whether we should even be considering this.

From a physics standpoint, it works. Sulfate particles reflect sunlight and cool the planet. The 1991 Pinatubo eruption proved the concept. The question is entirely about governance and side effects.

And those governance questions are staggering. Who decides the global thermostat setting? What happens when it causes drought in one region while cooling another? There's no international framework for this.

The termination shock problem is my biggest concern. If you start aerosol injection and then stop suddenly — war, funding cuts, political change — the temperature snaps back within a decade. All the masked warming hits at once.

I think of geoengineering as a fire extinguisher, not a fire prevention plan. You'd rather not need it. But if the building is on fire, you want to know where it is.

Research yes, deployment not yet. We need to understand the risks through controlled studies before anyone unilaterally deploys. The cowboy approach of unauthorized tests is exactly the wrong way to build public trust.