Professor Lin Publishes Op-ed on Climate Change in San Francisco Chronicle

Professor Albert Lin published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle on solar geoengineering, the various techniques that have been proposed as potential means to block a portion of the sun’s radiation in order to mitigate global warming.

“While solar geoengineering might reduce some of the heating caused by rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, it must not distract us from the essential task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the first instance,” Lin writes.

Even if solar geoengineering succeeded in easing some symptoms of climate change, it would not stop the acidification of oceans that is resulting from carbon pollution in the atmosphere, and it could have dangerous side-effects, Lin continues.

“Solar geoengineering could prove to be a dangerous distraction if it facilitates the weakening of other policies to combat climate change,” Lin writes. “Regardless of whether the federal government decides to support solar geoengineering research and development, society must redouble its efforts to directly reduce carbon emissions.”

Albert Lin is a professor at UC Davis School of Law with special interests in environmental law, natural resources law, and evidence.