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Climate Engineering: CDR and SRM Explained

Climate engineering, or geoengineering, involves large-scale interventions in the Earth's climate to combat human-induced climate change, categorized into Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM). CDR focuses on removing CO2 from the atmosphere through methods like afforestation and direct air capture, while SRM aims to cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight, using techniques such as stratospheric aerosol injection. These technologies raise significant controversies and risks, including moral hazards, unintended consequences, and governance challenges.

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Shreya Sadhukhan
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6 views2 pages

Climate Engineering: CDR and SRM Explained

Climate engineering, or geoengineering, involves large-scale interventions in the Earth's climate to combat human-induced climate change, categorized into Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM). CDR focuses on removing CO2 from the atmosphere through methods like afforestation and direct air capture, while SRM aims to cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight, using techniques such as stratospheric aerosol injection. These technologies raise significant controversies and risks, including moral hazards, unintended consequences, and governance challenges.

Uploaded by

Shreya Sadhukhan
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Climate engineering, also known as geoengineering or climate intervention, is the intentional

large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system to counter human-caused climate change.

It is generally divided into two main categories: Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar
Radiation Management (SRM).

1. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)


CDR technologies aim to address the root cause of climate change by removing $\text{CO}_2$
from the atmosphere and storing it durably. These techniques act as a form of mitigation.

Key CDR Methods:


●​ Afforestation/Reforestation: Planting new forests or restoring existing ones to increase
natural carbon uptake.
●​ Direct Air Capture (DAC): Using chemical processes to capture $\text{CO}_2$ directly
from the ambient air, which is then stored underground or used in products.
●​ Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS): Growing biomass (e.g.,
specific crops), burning it for energy, and capturing and storing the resulting
$\text{CO}_2$ emissions.
●​ Enhanced Weathering: Accelerating the natural geological process by which minerals
absorb $\text{CO}_2$, often by spreading finely ground silicate or carbonate rocks onto
land or oceans.
●​ Ocean-based CDR: Techniques like ocean fertilization (adding nutrients like iron to
stimulate phytoplankton growth and carbon drawdown) or enhancing ocean alkalinity.

2. Solar Radiation Management (SRM)


SRM technologies aim to rapidly cool the Earth by reflecting a small fraction of the sun's energy
back into space. These are considered a temporary measure to mask the effects of rising
greenhouse gas concentrations, but they do not address the underlying cause of rising
$\text{CO}_2$ levels or associated effects like ocean acidification.

Key SRM Methods:


●​ Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI): Releasing reflective particles (like sulfate
aerosols, mimicking a large volcanic eruption) into the upper atmosphere to scatter
sunlight.
●​ Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB): Spraying fine sea-salt particles into low-lying marine
clouds to make them brighter and more reflective.
●​ Surface Albedo Modification: Increasing the reflectivity of land or ocean surfaces, for
example, by painting roofs white or using reflective materials in urban areas.
●​ Cirrus Cloud Thinning: Seeding high-altitude cirrus clouds to reduce their heat-trapping
effect, allowing more infrared radiation to escape to space.
Controversies and Risks
Climate engineering techniques, especially SRM, are highly controversial due to potential risks,
ethical dilemmas, and governance challenges:
●​ Moral Hazard: The prospect of a technological "fix" could undermine political and social
motivation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
●​ Unintended Consequences: Large-scale intervention in the climate system could have
unpredictable and potentially irreversible negative effects, such as altering regional
weather patterns, precipitation, or air circulation (e.g., affecting monsoons).
●​ Ocean Acidification: SRM only addresses temperature, not the continued absorption of
excess $\text{CO}_2$ by the oceans, meaning ocean acidification would continue.
●​ Termination Shock: If an SRM deployment were suddenly paused or stopped, global
temperatures could rapidly spike, leading to severe climate impacts.
●​ Global Governance: The deployment of these technologies could create geopolitical
tensions, as one country's actions could have uneven or detrimental climate impacts on
others, raising questions of international consent, liability, and who makes the decision to
deploy.

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