Climate engineering facts for kids

Planting trees is a nature-based way to temporarily remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Climate engineering (also called geoengineering) is a term used for both carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management, also called solar geoengineering, when applied at a planetary scale. Solar geoengineering involves reflecting some sunlight (solar radiation) back to space. All forms of geoengineering are not a standalone solution to climate change, but need to be coupled with other forms of climate change mitigation.

Carbon dioxide removal is defined as "activities removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and durably storing it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products."

Some types of climate engineering are highly controversial due to the large uncertainties around effectiveness, side effects and unforeseen consequences. However, the risks of such interventions must be seen in the context of the trajectory of climate change without them.

Images for kids

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  Proposed solar geoengineering using a tethered balloon to inject sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere

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  A proposed "underwater sill" blocking 50% of warm water flows heading for the glacier could have the potential to delay its collapse and the resultant sea level rise by many centuries.

See also

In Spanish: Geoingeniería para niños