This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Unsettled" by Steven E. Koonin. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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How should we deal with climate change and its impact? What’s actually realistic?
Because of the distortion of climate science, Steven E. Koonin argues that many governments have endorsed impractical responses to climate change. In his book Unsettled, he proposes alternative responses to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its effects.
Continue reading to learn Koonin’s practical climate mitigation and adaptation proposals.
Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
Koonin served as the former chief scientist for the British oil and gas company BP, where he focused on renewable energy, and he was undersecretary for science in the Obama administration. So, he brings years of scientific experience into his discussion of climate mitigation and adaptation.
Because of his skepticism about our ability to curb emissions, Koonin considers alternative responses to climate change. In particular, he argues that we should consider geoengineering and adaptation in order to address climate change.
First, Koonin examines geoengineering—active techniques designed to artificially reduce the earth’s temperature—and argues that two forms of geoengineering are worth considering: Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
Broadly speaking, SRM involves making the earth more reflective to decrease the heat absorbed at its surface. According to Koonin, the most promising form of SRM is aerosol injection, which involves injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to create a reflective haze. Specifically, he claims we could insert a safe amount of hydrogen sulfide into the stratosphere at a relatively low cost, which would offset the warming caused by our CO2 emissions.
(Shortform note: Although Koonin focuses on stratospheric aerosol injection, there are several other forms of SRM that have been researched. For example, cirrus cloud thinning attempts to either thin or altogether get rid of high-altitude cirrus clouds, allowing more heat to escape into space. Moreover, marine cloud brightening attempts to brighten marine stratocumulus clouds, in turn reflecting more sunlight back into space.)
Nonetheless, Koonin concedes that this form of SRM has several disadvantages. For example, because the aerosols dissipate quickly, we would have to sustain the haze long-term to keep the surface temperature low. In addition, climate models suggest that SRM could have adverse effects on the climate, which could be worse than the rising temperature itself.
(Shortform note: In addition to these disadvantages, experts warn that stratospheric aerosol injection could lead to increased Arctic ozone depletion, which has further harmful consequences itself.)
So, Koonin turns to CDR as another promising form of geoengineering. Put simply, CDR involves removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it elsewhere. Koonin argues that this form of geoengineering has multiple advantages. For instance, CDR would allow us to continue using fossil fuels to meet global energy demands, rather than developing alternative energy sources. Moreover, because CDR involves restoring the atmosphere to its natural level of CO2 concentration, it would likely have few adverse effects on the climate.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Steven E. Koonin's "Unsettled" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full Unsettled summary:
- That humans are only partially to blame for the warming climate
- Why the proposed solutions to climate change are unlikely to succeed
- Alternative responses to climate change and how to improve understanding
