Recording of my Last Word on the Environment with Matt Cooper broadcast on September 11th is below. We began by discussing controversial new plans to cool the global atmosphere artificially, using a range of possible technologies. As I explained, given the complexity and interconnectedness of Earth systems , the scope for unintended and frankly catastrophic consequences by tinkering with the system is massive.
No surprise then to see the UK government, among others, spending tens of millions on such projects, which Cooper described as “a frankly mad idea”. Apart from the colossal risks involved, the critical thing about these projects is that they distract from what actually needs to be done urgently, and that is to phase out carbon emissions by scrapping fossil fuels as quickly as possible.
Small wonder this dirtiest of industries and its political allies are rushing to support untested, unproven and risible projects to distract the public and media into believing this is some form of meaningful climate action, as all the while, tens of billions of tonnes of carbon emissions continue to be dumped into the global atmosphere, altering its fundamental chemistry for thousands of years into the future.
We also discussed the uncanny accuracy of global sea level projections over the last three decades. Based on satellite measurements that began in the early 1990s, SLR projections dating back to the 1996 IPCC report have been borne out by direct observations. We concluded the segment by discussing alarming declines in global phytoplankton, and the vulnerability of these keystone marine species to rapidly warming waters.
The link to the recording of the segment broadcast on September 11th is below:
