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The original was posted on /r/collapse by /u/phinbob on 2024-09-12 04:01:24+00:00.

It seems to me that attempts to use geo-engineering to limit dangerous warming are inevitable.

Why? 

First, we’re not going to reduce emissions enough.  Looking at the UN Emissions Gap Report for 2023, which states we need to cut emissions by 28% by 2030 (over what baseline, I’m unsure)  to stay below 2c and 42% to stay under 1.5c, the chances of global emissions voluntarily  falling by a third in the next six years are non-existent. To achieve this would require a global mobilization towards low carbon energy, a reduction in consumption by the developed countries, and a limit to the increase in consumption by developing countries. Absent of some clearly climate-driven natural catastrophe resulting in mass casualties in the United States, there is not the public will to do any of this. 

Second, there is a lot more money to be made in ambitious engineering projects than in emissions reduction. It’s the best of both worlds for the money-power. Traditional economic growth continues, more materials are extracted, more fuel is burnt, and, given the nature of the emergency, cost (and hence profit) becomes less of an issue. Huge amounts of newly created money gets transferred to the organizations building these vast engineering projects, and their consultants. It’s a win-win, except for the biosphere. Capitalism and human ingenuity save the day.

Huzzah.