What is geoengineering and is it a solution to climate problems?

The Netherlands fights for climate goals

The series of recommendations that Minister Rob Getten (Climate and Energy) presented last week shows that more green energy will be needed by 2030 than will be available by then. To achieve the new climate target of 55 to 60 percent carbon dioxide reduction, roughly twice as much electricity is needed as previously thought.

The massive investments planned to expand the number of offshore wind farms and generate more green energy on land are insufficient to meet this demand. The problems surrounding nitrogen emissions also turned out to be greater than expected. Despite all the promises of the Cabinet – it is likely that this will come down to farmers who have to buy on a large scale.

The ambitious targets set by the government in the 2019 climate agreement are becoming increasingly difficult. It makes the search for other options for managing the climate crisis increasingly urgent.

Turning the thermostat ground

In recent years, there has been a growing scientific interest in what geoengineering or Climate engineering he is called. In short, scientists want the Earth’s thermostat to work. Geoengineering is a large-scale intervention in the natural systems of the Earth by means of techniques and technologies. Can scientists reverse average global temperature with technology?

Hermann Rauschenberg, professor of atmospheric research at TU Delft, believes so. He sees roughly two ways to do this: “You can reflect sunlight cooling the Earth. Or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere so more heat escapes.”