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Published Online September 14, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1131728

Reports

Submitted on June 26, 2006
Accepted on September 6, 2006

A Combined Mitigation/Geoengineering Approach to Climate Stabilization

T. M. L. Wigley 1*

1 National Center for Atmospheric Research, Post Office Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
T. M. L. Wigley , E-mail: wigley{at}ucar.edu

Projected anthropogenic warming and CO2 concentration increases present a two-fold threat: both from the climate changes, and from CO2 directly through increasing acidity of the oceans. Future climate change may be reduced through mitigation (greenhouse-gas emissions reductions) or through geoengineering. Most geoengineering approaches, however, do not address the problem of increasing ocean acidity. A combined mitigation/geoengineering strategy could remove this deficiency. We consider here the deliberate injection of sulfate aerosol precursors into the stratosphere. This can significantly offset future warming and provide additional time to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and so stabilize CO2 concentrations cost-effectively at an acceptable level.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)