Historian, journalist, and author Gwynne Dyer interviews the world’s top 100 climate scientists to discuss the extraordinary measures we must contemplate to counter the irreversible effects of climate change.
The global climate emergency is now an alarming fact of life. Much as we still need to get emissions under control, many are thinking that it's all too little, too late. As scientists, politicians and concerned citizens scramble for solutions to the catastrophic effects of a warming world, is it time to be exploring the controversial topic of geoengineering?
For decades, discerning readers have turned to journalist and historian Gwynne Dyer for his unparalleled acumen in serving up hard geopolitical truths. Intervention Earth is built around Dyer’s interviews with one hundred climate scientists from around the globe, including the leading figures in the geoengineering field. One of the most interesting topics: the pros and cons of Solar Radiation Management, a possible planetary Hail Mary that is rife with political risks.
But Intervention Earth is about more than technological mega-projects. Dyer devotes ample space to the many innovative ideas on offer, but there is no get-out-of-jail-free card. We will need a whole portfolio of techniques and technologies—and a lot of hard, thankless work—to keep the planet hospitable for humanity.
What’s more, many of the technologies that can help us avoid the worst outcomes require years of investment and development before they can be successfully deployed. Global cooperation will be key in implementing the life-saving strategies outlined in the book. With up-to-the-minute, breaking-news reporting Intervention Earth offers a probing, eye-opening look at the problems we face, and the innovations that just might keep us ahead of encroaching disaster and carry us to a safe harbour.
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I really enjoyed Intervention Earth. It’s very well-informed, splendidly provocative (challenging many of my own preconceptions!), and Gwynne Dyer is an engaging companion in exploring the contested—even taboo—territory of geoengineering—and of Solar Radiation Management in particular. There’s no turning away from the reality of the crisis we’re in, with massively little techno-fixing hopium—but it does (just about!) leave the door open to a viable future for humankind. Which makes it a must-read for the rich debates to come!
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Jonathon Porritt, author of Hope in Hell: A decade to confront the climate emergency