The hottest Geoengineering Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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An El Niño is brewing

The Crucial Years • 6427 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. An El Niño looks likely to form and will push global temperatures to new records because it adds on top of the planet’s steady warming. Scientists warn this surge could raise the world to around 1.7°C above pre‑industrial levels this cycle and hasten hitting 2°C within the next decade or two.
  2. The extra heat will mean more extreme weather—stronger storms, heavier rains and floods, deeper droughts, and bigger wildfires—that will harm people, infrastructure, and ecosystems. That visible jump in warming will also shift politics and public opinion, and could lead to serious debates about risky options like solar geoengineering.
  3. The clean energy transition is gathering pace with expanding renewables, EV adoption, microgrids, and industrial moves to low‑carbon power, showing economic as well as climate benefits. Still, political choices that favor fossil fuels can block or slow this progress, so policy decisions remain crucial.

So You Want to Learn Geoengineering?

Popular Rationalism • 1069 implied HN points • 10 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Geoengineering is a real science aimed at fighting climate change. It includes methods like cloud seeding and solar reflection, but it needs full public transparency since it could affect everyone.
  2. There’s a long history of weather manipulation efforts, like Project Cirrus and Project Stormfury. Many of these projects had mixed results, leading to both discoveries and unexpected consequences.
  3. Public engagement is key for geoengineering to be used responsibly. People need to stay informed and participate in discussions about these technologies to ensure decisions are made ethically and transparently.

Bill introduced in New Hampshire State to halt geoengineering

2nd Smartest Guy in the World • 3970 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Geoengineering
  1. Bill introduced in New Hampshire to prevent deliberate geoengineering activities like cloud seeding and stratospheric aerosol injection.
  2. Weather modification history includes declassified projects like 'Project Popeye' during the Vietnam War.
  3. There have been a large number of weather modification-related patents issued since the ban on military use in 1978.

Ice: The Penultimate Frontier

Transhuman Axiology • 813 implied HN points • 13 Jul 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Floating ice islands could be a practical solution for creating new land, much cheaper than colonizing other planets. We already have icebergs that can be transformed into usable land without the high costs of space travel.
  2. The process to insulate these icebergs from melting is affordable and could really help maintain their size for a long time. Using air and lightweight materials, we can keep the ice from melting when in warm waters.
  3. Setting up a community or business on these ice islands might be more viable than starting a space colony. It’s a way to explore new opportunities without the severe risks and costs associated with space exploration.

Sunset Solutions or Solar Sins: the Geoengineering Gamble to Cool the Planet

Adetokunbo Sees • 208 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Private solar geoengineering companies are rapidly growing, raising large investments, running field tests, and positioning the sector for big market expansion in the coming decade.
  2. Supporters argue that reflecting sunlight could quickly cool the planet and save many lives from extreme heat, which is driving calls for major research funding and more academic trials.
  3. But the approach has serious risks and uncertainties—it can worsen ozone depletion and ocean acidification, disrupt regional climates, and may distract from the more effective long-term solution of cutting fossil fuel emissions.
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A Potential Solution to Climate Catastrophe

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 60 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Ocean iron fertilization could rapidly pull CO2 out of the air by seeding parts of the ocean and boosting phytoplankton, and proponents say it might restore safer CO2 levels within a few decades.
  2. The science and ecology are uncertain — experiments and studies show mixed results and risks like harmful algal blooms, damage to fisheries, and unintended climate effects could occur.
  3. Even if it works, it poses a political and ethical problem because it could let powerful actors avoid cutting emissions and keep exploiting the planet instead of making systemic change.

My new book — Clearing the Air — is coming out in September!

Sustainability by numbers • 369 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. A new book titled 'Clearing the Air' will be released in September, focusing on climate change solutions through 50 questions and answers. It's designed to help readers understand how to tackle environmental issues more clearly.
  2. The book aims to provide straightforward answers to common doubts and questions about climate change, such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and more.
  3. An audiobook version will be available, read by the author, allowing listeners to engage with the material in a personal way.

We can terraform the Earth—not just Mars

The Novelleist • 380 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. We have the technology and creativity to improve our planet, not just Mars. Projects like reforesting deserts are proof that we can restore ecosystems and make uninhabitable areas livable.
  2. Innovations in geoengineering allow us to control weather and climate. This means we can potentially cool down our planet, make it rain where needed, and reduce the effects of climate change.
  3. By shifting away from livestock farming and using plant-based alternatives, we can free up land for other uses. This could allow us to create new forests, cities, and renewable energy sources.

🌀 It's actually a huge failure that we can't control hurricanes

Faster, Please! • 1005 implied HN points • 09 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Scientists have tried to control hurricanes before, but it didn't work out because we didn't understand how hurricanes really behave.
  2. There are new ideas being tested to weaken storms, like cooling ocean waters and using cloud seeding, but these methods are still in development.
  3. People are often skeptical about geoengineering methods because of past failures and concerns for safety, so open discussions are important to build trust.

Geoengineering Now!

Maximum Progress • 334 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🔬 Science Geoengineering
  1. Solar geoengineering can offset temperature rise relatively inexpensively.
  2. Geoengineering could help delay and mitigate damages of climate change.
  3. Arguments against geoengineering include concerns about unintended effects and moral hazard.

Three Globalisations and a Geopolitical Game of Chinese Weather Checkers

Agribusiness Matters • 98 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Geoengineering
  1. Agribusinesses are adapting to a new era of 'strategic capitalism', with a focus on geopolitical maneuvers.
  2. Countries like India and China are enhancing food security through measures like launching procurement portals and diversifying import sources for pulses.
  3. China's geopolitical hunger games involve tactics like weather modification, river water obstruction, and artificial islands to gain a strategic advantage.

Explaining Climate Policy: When Costs Aren't

David Friedman’s Substack • 260 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. When it comes to climate policy, some people view costs as benefits, creating different perspectives on energy use and global warming solutions.
  2. Alternatives like nuclear power, natural gas, and geoengineering can help reduce global warming without reducing energy use, but not all advocates support these options.
  3. Using a crisis like global warming as an excuse for political agendas or personal beliefs is a common pattern across different contexts and political ideologies.

Nyhetsbrev steigan.no 11.02.2024

steigan.no • 6 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Geoengineering
  1. Recent discussions in Norway are reevaluating the country's historical defense decisions, suggesting a blame on pacifist and socialist politicians for leaving the country defenseless in 1940.
  2. Geoengineering, the modification of weather through chemical spraying, is gaining attention globally as big business, with financiers including Bill Gates and George Soros investing in research projects to block the sun by 2050.
  3. There is a growing concern over the rewriting of history in Norway, with some suggesting a revisitation of events from World War II, attributing the country's actions and defenses to false threats, setting a dangerous precedent.

Apocalypse Lunchtime

Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf • 7 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Geoengineering
  1. Witnessing strange events should prompt us to question and seek independent verification of the official narrative.
  2. The potential for intentional harm through methods like geoengineering, directed energy weapons, and crisis theater should not be dismissed.
  3. The lack of critical thinking and questioning in the face of danger poses a significant threat to our awareness and ability to protect ourselves.