Geoengineering Survey
1A. Have you ever heard of geoengineering?
1B. What do you think geoengineering is?
2A. Have you ever heard of climate engineering?
2B. What do you think climate engineering is?
Some people have suggested that it is possible to cool the planet without changing how much fossil fuel (like coal and oil) we use.
3A. How familiar are you with this idea?
3B. Do you believe it is true that you can cool the planet without changing how much fossil fuel we use?
3C. Do you believe we should cool the planet without changing how much fossil fuel we use?
Some people think it is possible to cool the planet by spraying the sky with a chemical that blocks sunlight.
4A. How familiar are you with this idea?
4B. Do you believe it is true that you can cool the planet by spraying the sky with a chemical that blocks sunlight?
4C. Do you believe we should cool the planet by spraying the sky with a chemical that blocks sunlight?
5. Do you think that geoengineering should be used as a solution to global warming?
6. What is your opinion about each of the following statements?
a. Global warming is a serious problem.
b. Humans are primarily responsible for global warming.
c. One person’s actions have no impact on global warming.
d. My government should do more to deal with global warming.
7. What is your opinion about each of the following statements?
a. People have done a good job using technology to fix environmental problems.
b. Humans know enough about how nature works to be able to control it.
c. We must develop new technologies to solve global warming.
d. I worry that people expect technology will fix the changing climate.
e. Technologies that work like nature are best.
How the sun heats the earth
Sunlight warms the Earth and its atmosphere (the air and other gases surrounding the Earth).
• When the sun’s rays get to the atmosphere, some are reflected by the clouds and dust in the atmosphere. These rays do not heat the earth.
• The rest of the sun’s rays heat the earth’s surface. Gases in the atmosphere (such as carbon dioxide) trap the heat near the earth. This makes the earth warm enough for humans, animals and plants to live.
• If less sunlight reached the earth, less heat would be trapped and the earth’s climate would get cooler.
Problems with the Earth’s rising temperature
• Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas puts more greenhouse (heat-trapping) gases
into the atmosphere. These are called emissions. The extra gases trap more heat and make the Earth’s temperature warmer. Greenhouse gases last in the atmosphere for a very long time (more than a century). So, even if we cut emissions quickly, gases released in the past will cause the earth’s temperature to rise.
Higher temperatures change the Earth by:
o Making rain and snow fall less;
o Making ice and glaciers melt faster;
o Making ocean levels higher, changing coastlines and hurting coastal cities; and
o Making dangerous storms like hurricanes, tornados and snow storms stronger.
Many scientists think that at some point the Earth’s temperature will get too warm. This might cause a "climate emergency" that leads to:
o Serious heat waves that threaten the health of the elderly and ill;
o Severe droughts that destroy farm crops across large areas in Africa or North America; and
o The ocean rising and flooding a major coastal city (like New York City).
Solar Radiation Management
Solar Radiation Management is a possible way to lower the earth's temperature. Solar Radiation Management is a type of geoengineering. To stop some of the sun’s rays, a substance (such as small sulfur particles) would be sprayed into the atmosphere. This substance forms a kind of fine dust that reflects sunlight back into space before it can warm the earth. Some scientists think this idea will work because a similar thing happens in nature. When big volcanoes erupt, they spray the same chemical into the atmosphere, and the earth cools.
Some Benefits of Solar Radiation Management
The expected benefits of Solar Radiation Management are that it will:
1. Slow global warming and reduce its dangerous impacts, giving us more time to
cut greenhouse gas emissions;
2. Slow or stop global warming quicker than is possible by cutting emissions;
3. Be the only way to manage the risk of rising temperatures (caused by long lasting greenhouse gases) during this century;
4. Stop a climate emergency before too much damage is done; and
5. Be much cheaper than stopping our use of fuels that release greenhouse gases.
Some Problems with Solar Radiation Management
The expected problems with Solar Radiation Management are that it will:
1. Change how much it rains in some parts of the world;
2. Damage the ozone layer;
3. Take away people’s motivation to change their current lifestyle and stop using
coal, oil and natural gas;
4. Allow coal, oil and natural gas companies to keep releasing greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere; and
5. Potentially cause something to happen that we can’t predict.
8. Scientists believe that studying Solar Radiation Management on a small scale for the next
several years will help them to better understand the possible risks and benefits of this technology.
Do you feel that the information you just read was clear?
a. It was completely clear
b. It was somewhat clear
c. It was somewhat unclear
d. It was completely unclear
9. Do you feel that the information you just read had a bias?
a. It was supportive of Solar Radiation Management.
b. It was neutral, and did not support or oppose Solar Radiation Management.
c. It was opposed to Solar Radiation Management.
10. Do you think that geoengineering should be used as a solution to global warming?
Do you think scientists should study Solar Radiation Management?
11. What do you think about using Solar Radiation Management to stop a climate emergency?
12. If Solar Radiation Management was possible today, what would you think about using it immediately?
13. Do you think that Solar Radiation Management should never be used, no matter the situation?
Earlier, you read about some of the potential benefits and risks of Solar Radiation Management.
14. Please rate the importance of each of the following risks and benefits to you in forming your opinion about Solar Radiation Management?
1. It will slow global warming and reduce its dangerous impacts, giving us more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
2. It will slow or stop global warming quicker than is possible by cutting emissions.
3. It is the only way to manage the risk of rising temperatures (caused by long lasting greenhouse gases) during this century.
4. It will stop a climate emergency before too much damage is done.
5. It will be much cheaper than stopping our use of fuels that release greenhouse gases.
6. It will change how much it rains in some parts of the world.
7. It will damage the ozone layer.
8. It will take away people’s motivation to change their current lifestyle and stop using coal, oil and natural gas.
9. It will allow coal, oil and natural gas companies to keep releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
10.It will potentially cause something to happen that we can’t predict.
15. What is your opinion about each of the following statements?
a. Solar Radiation Management will help the planet more than it will hurt it.
b. With enough research, I believe Solar Radiation Management will turn out to be safe and effective.
c. Solar Radiation Management should be used so we can continue to use oil, coal and natural gas.
d. Solar Radiation Management is the easy way out.
e. Research into Solar Radiation Management will lead to a technology that will be used no matter what the public thinks.
f. The earth’s temperature is too complicated to fix with one technology.
g. Humans should not be manipulating nature in this way.
h. Solar Radiation Management is natural.
i. If scientists find that Solar Radiation Management can reduce the impacts of global warming with minimal side-effects, then I would support its use.
16. How much would you trust information about Solar Radiation Management from each of the following groups?
a. Federal government
b. Private companies developing Solar Radiation Management projects
c. Environmental organizations
d. University researchers studying Solar Radiation Management
e. Industries that might benefit from Solar Radiation Management
f. Media and reporters
g. United Nations
h. Religious leaders
i. Family and friends
17. If you had the chance to talk to Solar Radiation Management researchers and decision
makers, what would you say or ask?
18A. Some people think the government has a secret program that uses airplanes to put
harmful chemicals into the air (often called chemtrails).
How familiar are you with this idea?
Do you believe it is true that the government has a secret program that uses airplanes to
put harmful chemicals into the air?
18B. Why do you think the government is doing this?
Demographics
Age
Education level
Gender
Location (State/province/region etc)
Please indicate your religion
1. Buddhism
2. Christianity
3. Hinduism
4. Islam
5. Judaism
6. Sikhism
7. Non-religious (secular, agnostic, atheist)
8. Other (Please specify)
9. Prefer not to answer
Political affiliation/leaning
How would you describe your political views?
In elections, I normally vote for the:
2010 Online Geoengineering survey by University of Calgary, Harvard University and Simon Fraser University. Did you take the survey?
by strymeckirules 3 Replies latest social current
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strymeckirules
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strymeckirules
i figured we should all have had a chance at this survey, not just 3000 people worldwide providing the worlds opinion.
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strymeckirules
"Goodbye Blue Sky"
[Childs voice:]
Look, Mummy. There's an airplane up in the sky.
Oooooooo ooo ooo ooooh
Did you see the frightened ones
Did you hear the falling bombs
Did you ever wonder
Why we had to run for shelter
When the promise of a brave new world
Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky
Oooooooo ooo ooooo oooh
Did you see the frightened ones
Did you hear the falling bombs
The flames are all long gone
But the pain lingers on
Goodbye blue sky
Goodbye blue sky
Goodbye
Goodbye -
DT
I have read about about solar radiation management. I don't know enough to endorse it, but I think it would be valuable for more people to be made aware of it and to publicly debate its advantages and disadvantages.