Rogue state 'could hijack world climate'
Geoengineering techniques may be used to fire small particles into stratosphere, leading to international crisis and costs to stability
The world's climate could be hijacked by a rogue country or wealthy individual firing small particles into the stratosphere, claims a warning that comes not from a new Hollywood movie trailer but a sober report from the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The deployment of independent, large-scale "geoengineering" techniques aimed at averting dangerous warming warrants more research because it could lead to an international crisis with unpredictable costs to agriculture, infrastructure and global stability, said the Geneva-based WEF in its annual Global Risks report presented ahead of the Davos economic summit later this month. It also warned that ongoing economic weakness is sapping the ability of governments to tackle the growing threat of climate change.
"The global climate could, in effect, be hijacked. For example, an island state threatened with rising sea levels may decide they have nothing to lose, or a well-funded individual with good intentions may take matters into their own hands," the report said.
It said there were "signs that this is already starting to occur", highlighting the case of an American businessman and researcher who deliberately dumped 100 tonnes of iron sulphate off the Canadian coast last year, to see whether it was possible to trigger an algal bloom, which would supposedly help nourish fish stocks and capture carbon. The resultant 10,000 square kilometre algal bloom could be seen from space.
The top two global risks identified for the WEF by more than 1,000 business leaders and experts were the growing wealth gap and a major financial economic crisis. But the next three on the list of 50 were environmental, including climate change, and water and food supply crises.
Lee Howell, the editor of the WEF report, said: "Following a year scarred by extreme weather, from hurricane Sandy to flooding in China, respondents rated rising greenhouse gas emissions as the third most likely global risk overall, while the failure of climate change adaptation is seen as the environmental risk with the most knock-on effects for the next decade. These global risks are essentially a health warning regarding our most critical systems. With the growing cost of events like Superstorm Sandy, huge threats to island nations and coastal communities, and no resolution to greenhouse gas emissions, the writing is on the wall. It is time to act."