The sun rises over an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation March 24, 2014 near Lost Hills, California.
, he brings a new warning: Scientists are underestimating how fast the planet is warming. And the crisis will have to be met, in part, with
Climate scientists have been underestimating how sensitive the global climate system will be to increased carbon dioxide emissions, according to the new paper. That’s in part because they have been improperly accounting for the effect of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal power plants and ships burning bunker fuel, which mask warming. Sulfur dioxide emissions, in the form of aerosols in the atmosphere, have the effect of reflecting sunlight, but they are also hazardous to human health.
Such methods, which can include releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, or spraying seawater into the air to form clouds, are highly controversial, with many researchers warning of dangerous, potentially unintended consequences. Currently, theamong the largest body of climate scientists is whether to even begin funding research into geoengineering in case humanity needs it, or if putting the option on the table is too dangerous to consider.
“We have to recognize we're geoengineering the planet right now ,” Hansen added later, in response to a question from TIME. “We have to minimize that human-made geoengineering. And, on a temporary timescale, that will probably require reflecting sunlight, just because of how difficult it is to get the greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere.