Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seem to have decided they can play God in our planet's climate system. NOAA’s recently released fact sheet on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) reads like an arrogant manifesto of techno-utopia, proposing a future in which carbon capture and geoengineering will be used for heavy-duty operations. Tools that shape Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Filled with grandiose claims and alarming uncertainties, the document outlines a vision that is scientifically dubious and ethically troubling.
The NOAA fact sheet highlights anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions as a major driver of climate change, leading to a range of environmental changes from ocean acidification to changes in marine food webs.
“Human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas (GHG), have been the largest driver of climate change over the past century. Increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have led to increases in land and land surface temperatures. Global oceans and seawater have become more acidic and lower oxygen levels, changes in marine food webs and other related climate impacts.”
The narrative suggests that only by drastically reducing emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can…
