Click play to listen. Recorded on November 2, 2008.
Global climate disruption has inspired ingenious technology solutions that, nevertheless, sound just this side of Buck Rogers: deflective space mirrors, cloud seeding, ocean fertilization, even artificial trees. Are these so-called geoengineering projects essential to the planet’s survival—or distractions from a more fundamental need to reduce greenhouse gas output? Discussing this dazzling new frontier are Klaus Lackner of Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center and Earth Institute; Ray Pierrehumbert, University of Chicago professor of geophysical sciences; and Jeff Goodell, an author currently writing a book on the topic. Author Mark Hertsgaard, who covers climate change for Vanity Fair and The Nation, moderates.
