New research is shedding light on the potential consequences of geoengineering the planet.
That approach, in a sense, has already been tested in nature.
Big volcanic eruptions have cooled the planet by injecting ash into the atmosphere.
Reducing hurricane activity in the Atlantic might sound like a positive, knock-on benefit.
“That sounds beneficial after the hurricane season we’ve just had,” Anthony Jones of the University of Exeter, one of the paper’s authors, told Seeker.
“But if you just inject into the north, you also increase the risk of drought in the Sahel.” The Sahel is a region in Africa bordering the Sahara Desert and is prone to acute drought.
The United Nations said in 2012 that 15 million people were malnourished in West Africa and the Sahel primarily due to drought.
“Geoengineering regionally and unilaterally could have dire consequences for other parts of the planet,” Jones said.
Despite the risks, scientists who study geoengineering suggest the process may buy crucial time for humanity to transition away from carbon-intensive economies that are the cause of global warming.
“But the consequences of climate change are also quite terrifying.