Mikaela Martinez Dettinger- Solar Geoengineering

     Solar Geoengineering is a term for man-made techniques to reflect solar radiation to counteract temperature rise. It is also called Solar Radiation Management. An example of this is the project on man-made clouds that my roommate, a biology major, is currently working on researching. One example of this, which I will focus on, is the creation of artificial aerosols that can be used in different levels of the atmosphere in order to perform different functions that improve the reflectivity of clouds for the purpose of reducing global warming. This works because dense clouds, known as "light aerosols", reflect the UV rays coming from the clouds thus reducing the heat coming from the sun. Light aerosols occur naturally and it doesn't have to do with color. For example, volcanic eruptions produce huge ash clouds that are made out of sulfate, a salt, and other natural minerals that can reflect the sun's rays and reduce global climate for the period of time that they are in the air. Even, when the ash cloud dissipate, the minerals join other clouds. This makes them more dense and works to reduce the global climate because the dense clouds reflect more of the UV rays. A suggestion to mitigate, not solve, climate change is to use artificial aerosols made of salts and minerals already found in naturally occurring "light aerosols" in order create more dense clouds to reflect more of the sun's heat back into space. One example of how scientists are proposing this can be done is through what is known as Marine Cloud Brightening which would artificially add sea mist to the Troposphere, the lowest level of the atmosphere, in order to increase the reflectivity of sea clouds. The down side to this is that the global effects of adding these natural materials to the atmosphere is largely unknown. Pollution produces this same concept, but with "dark aerosols" which add minerals and chemicals to the atmosphere which can harm the opacity of clouds and thus help to increase global warming. (Any science majors reading this, I did my best to explain this) 

    From the perspective of Religion and Ecology this is absolutely fascinating for two reasons. 1) Proposed solutions to Man-made problems are also man-made. 2) These solutions mimic natural processes that already occur without our intervention, and these processes are being hurt by our intervention. First, the idea that man can both metaphorically break our natural systems and can also fix them seems to be a wild dream. Aldo Leopold, a scientist and one who had spiritual experiences in nature (when he killed a wold in Think Like A Mountian), wrote in the Sand County Almanac that humankind, as conquerors, cannot understand the unique natural balances that we disrupt under the assumption that we can know best. Is this brave attempt at a solution what Leopold warned against or is it necessary for us to intervene in these processes to attempt to fix what we have messed up? Second, it is hopeful to me that, at least, we are trying to intervene in these processes with the same tools that mother nature uses to some extent. However, thinking back to primal religions and animism, the first kind of science was observation. The conclusions drawn from the observation of the world around some of the first humans resulted in myths that yielded the hypothesis that the natural world is beyond our control; and that it is of a higher power. Now, our observation has lead us to play with the powers of the natural world that were the source of awe and religion to our ancestors. To think of the Australian Aboriginals, it seems as if we are harnessing the powers of the Dreamtime. They painted to tap into these powers ensure that the animals they depend on would remain. Now, we are taking that power into our own hands. But, in the process of harnessing the powers our ancestors relied on gods for, have we lost the respect and humility which the awe granted by religion and spirituality impress upon our ancestors?