A quick fix for global warming

It's the stuff of Science fiction, but could mirrors in space or sea water sprayed in the air be shortcuts to halt global warming?

"It's Dr Strangelove. But it's the kind of Dr Strangelove you could see governments really using."

That's how one expert describes geo-engineering - the idea that we can use a kind of technical quick fix to cool the planet if global warming accelerates.

Plans for geo-engineering can sound bizarre.

They range from placing millions of tiny mirrors in space to reflect back some of the sun's rays, to using rockets to launch tons of sulphur into the stratosphere to create a kind of planetary sun shade.

That plan was inspired by watching what happened after the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines in 1991.

Sulphur ejected into the atmosphere spread around in subsequent months to create a layer believed to have had a temporary cooling effect as it blocked some of the sun's warmth.

Other suggestions include spraying sea water into the atmosphere to make it cloudier, or pumping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere or out of the oceans.

Until recently, policymakers have dismissed this as Science fiction, a complete distraction from the fight against global warming. Now, attitudes seem to be changing.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7533600.stm

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