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| Hack the Planet: Science's Best Hope - or Worst Nightmare - for Averting Climate Catastrophe |  | Author: Eli Kintisch
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $14.94
as of 9/3/2010 20:17 PDT details
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New (36) from $14.94
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 257,375
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 047052426X
Dewey Decimal Number: 551.6
EAN: 9780470524268
ASIN: 047052426X
Publication Date: April 19, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An inside tour of the incredible—and probably dangerous—plans to counteract the effects of climate change through experiments that range from the plausible to the fantastic David Battisti had arrived in Cambridge expecting a bloodbath. So had many of the other scientists who had joined him for an invitation-only workshop on climate science in 2007, with geoengineering at the top of the agenda. We can't take deliberately altering the atmosphere seriously, he thought, because there’s no way we'll ever know enough to control it. But by the second day, with bad climate news piling on bad climate news, he was having second thoughts. When the scientists voted in a straw poll on whether to support geoengineering research, Battisti, filled with fear about the future, voted in favor. While the pernicious effects of global warming are clear, efforts to reduce the carbon emissions that cause it have fallen far short of what’s needed. Some scientists have started exploring more direct and radical ways to cool the planet, such as: - Pouring reflective pollution into the upper atmosphere
- Making clouds brighter
- Growing enormous blooms of algae in the ocean
Schemes that were science fiction just a few years ago have become earnest plans being studied by alarmed scientists, determined to avoid a climate catastrophe. In Hack the Planet, Science magazine reporter Eli Kintisch looks more closely at this array of ideas and characters, asking if these risky schemes will work, and just how geoengineering is changing the world. Scientists are developing geoengineering techniques for worst-case scenarios. But what would those desperate times look like? Kintisch outlines four circumstances: collapsing ice sheets, megadroughts, a catastrophic methane release, and slowing of the global ocean conveyor belt. As incredible and outlandish as many of these plans may seem, could they soon become our only hope for avoiding calamity? Or will the plans of brilliant and well-intentioned scientists cause unforeseeable disasters as they play out in the real world? And does the advent of geoengineering mean that humanity has failed in its role as steward of the planet—or taken on a new responsibility? Kintisch lays out the possibilities and dangers of geoengineering in a time of planetary tipping points. His investigation is required reading as the debate over global warming shifts to whether humanity should Hack the Planet.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Tour of the Horizon, the Smartest of Skeptics July 25, 2010
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States)
I bristled when I saw the title, but bought the book in association with my own talk to Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) on "Hacking Humanity." I've put the book down glad I did not give up in the early pages, and thoroughly impressed by the author, clearly among the smartest of skeptics.
Although I was suprised to find no mention of HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) which is striving for openness but still appears to have an unnerving patina of weather change and earthquake triggering potential--in my uninformed view. I'd love the author's informed opinion on HAARP.
What the author does provide in this book is a totally superb overview with multiple drill-downs of what is now called "geoengineering." Geo-systems are not in this book, and that is the greatest flaw with any contemplation of geo-engineering--you cannot engineer what you cannot understand.
The arrogance of those proposing "methods" to "hack" the Earth is truly outstanding, an arrogance I am glad to see that the author does not share. Among the long list of ideas:
Aerosols into the upper atmosphere
Aluminum mesh into the upper atmosphere
Ash in the upper atmosphere
Bury Co2 deep in the ground or under the seabed
Carbons into carbides into cement
Chemicals in the upper atmosphere
Cloud seeding
Divert rivers
Dust rings in the upper atmosphere
Grow lots of algae in the ocean
Harnessing volcanoes
Plants everywhere
Suck Co2 out of the air
Trillions of reflective disks floating in the upper atmosphere
All of the above are a right of center counter-attack to the left of center climate change carbon fraud that received a major setback when years of emails were released just prior to the Copenhagen conference. For a good time search for ClimateGate.
With any of the above, there is at least a 1 in 300 change of altering the climate toward extremes.
The four scenarios that scare people--and that the right of center scientists do not think will be addressed by carbon reducing strategies-- include:
Catastrophic methane release
Collapsing ice sheets
Megadroughts
Slowing of ocean conveyor belt
An enormous amount of ignorance is ably documented by the author, who certainly gives all those concerned their due in terms of brilliance, dedication, good intentions, and creative ideas. The models are "not even close" at the same time that the linkages are not understood. "Flawed data" and "bad analysis" are the norm. No real sense of levers and amplifiers among all those contemplating "hacks" on the earth.
I learn the word "homodisciplinary" and I love it--that alone is worth the price of the book because that one books slams down at least 80% of not 90% of all of the so-called "experts" that know everything about nothing and nothing about everything else.
I am stunned to see that the carbon fraud scheme by Maurice Strong and his trusty talking puppet Al Gore is said to be a one trillion dollar market--this certainly makes sub-prime mortgages look good in comparison.
The most promising offerings appear to be carbon into carbides into cement; algae in oceans, and cloud seeking. HOWEVER, as this book makes clear in both the text and the fine print, geoengineering is climate change fraud on steroids, a 9 billion pound gorilla with no idea of its potential for catastrophe.
I am pointed toward a number of excellent books by this author, including Stewart Brand's Whole Earth Discipline: Why Dense Cities, Nuclear Power, Transgenic Crops, Restored Wildlands, and Geoengineering Are Necessary; James Loveluck's The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning; and Bjorn Lomborg's Global Crises, Global Solutions: Costs and Benefits.
The author does a fine job of showing how tinkering leads to disaster, with case studies on the Aral Sea, Lake Victorial, the gall fly helping deer mice multiply as disease carriers, and dung beetles doing good.
A fine quote: "We just do not know the side effects" [of anything we might do].
In discussing the algae in the Arctic the author provides an excellent sense of the complex over-lapping and often contradictory and certainly debilitating jurisdictions and obstacles associated with multiple governments and within governments, between multiple agencies as well as many alert civil society elements.
The author wins his fifth star at the very end, when I realize that his balanced objectivety throughout has been concealing an erudite sarcasm about "Hack the Planet." He ends with a short brilliant discourse on "the problem of the dual and deceptive nature of control," and a quote with respect to how we are playing God and actually have no clue.
Although there is nothing in this book about ecological economics, true cost, scarcity and toxins and so on, this is a book by a journalist and I found it most satisfying; future books by this author will capture my attention.
Here are seven other books (Amazon limits us to ten, you can find the other 1600+ at Phi Beta Iota the Public Intelligence Blog, see especially 00 Remixed Review Lists (69) halfway down the middle column).
In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations
Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway
Climategate: A Veteran Meteorologist Exposes the Global Warming Scam
The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource
The Future of Life
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them
 Superficial - July 1, 2010
Loyd E. Eskildson (Phoenix, AZ.)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
There are two broad categories of schemes to engineer the climate. The first is reflecting sunlight back into space, and the more radical of the two approaches. Drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere is the other (eg. growing algae in the oceans). Only in the past decade have we also learned that clean air could help kill us - tiny particles in the atmosphere (mostly sulfates from coal plants, nitrates, etc. from burning forests) scatter light from the Sun.
Rising temperatures raise the risk of releasing methane stored in permafrost, and also melting the ice (less reflectivity) - creating positive feedback.
Endless uncertainties exist regarding the effect of global warming, climate engineering, and the author's understanding of the topic. Suggest reading instead "Coming Climate Crisis?" by Parker.
TECHNICALLY ACCURATE, BUT OPERATIONALLY IRRELEVANT June 27, 2010
SuperK
The author has done his homework, and offers a comprehensive review of geo-engineering options for climate control. And, he is able to communicate his results in comprehensible language. But, based on studies I have done, I don't believe the techniques described will do the job.
These geo-engineering approaches are analogous to losing weight without eating less/exercising more, or avoiding lung cancer/emphysema without having to stop smoking. These approaches are the 'gastric bypasses' of climate control. The only problem is, they will have even more side effects than gastric bypasses or counter-smoking drugs.
In global warming, we are entering into a nonlinear runaway positive feedback loop whereby methane emissions mainly in the arctic (from melting permafrost and other sources) are increasing rapidly, their increased atmosphere concentration will shortly increase warming substantially, which will accelerate further methane release and further warming, ad infinitum. The main results will be melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and the eventual sea level rise of about 250 feet. While current projections for this to happen are century time scales, I believe the nonlinear positive feedback loop (which has not been taken into account in present estimates) will shorten the time drastically. We have little idea of ice sheet mechanics under rapidly warming surroundings.
Technically, this feedback loop can be partially reversed with drastic reduction in fossil fuel use. Realistically, there is zero political will to do what is required, the equivalent of eating less to reduce weight or smoking less to reduce chances of cancer. Geo-engineering is the 'Hail Mary' pass of climate control, but I would be willing to bet the mortgage it will sail out of the end zone.
 Quick, mind-blowing read May 25, 2010
Shannon Service (San Francisco, CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Here's a quick background for those who don't know: "Planet hackers" are some of the world's leading climate scientists who--confronted with the break-down of the international political process and our steady march towards the ravages of climate change--are looking into desperate, last-ditch efforts to stabilize the climate. These are huge, science fictiony ideas: launching reflectors into space to turn back solar radiation, brightening the world's clouds and creating a huge Saturn-like dust ring around the planet to name a few. Some of these ideas are dismissed as laughable by their scientific peers, others are being seriously looked at by both the scientific community and, increasingly, governments. It might sound like the movie Bladerunner, but geoengineering is gaining a lot of momentum.
Kintisch's book is a quick read that will not only bring you up to speed on this critical issue but will do it with anecdotes, real world examples and a fair bit of humor thrown in. And Kintisch is clearly qualified to write it. He's one of the few serious journalists hot on the trail of the geoengineers, serving as a kind of prophet in the desert working to bring awareness to this complex and terrifying field. Reading "Hack the Planet" is like being guided through the wilds of this emerging terrain by an experienced and affable guide. It is thoroughly reported and contains a lot of information that will startle even the most dedicated follower of the field.
However, the book does tend to rely on some gimmicks--like dividing scientists into two color-coded camps--that I found distracting and not very helpful. And, while my deep interest in the topic drove me forward, there were certainly times I wished for more character development or narrative to enliven the chapters.
In all, though, this is an important book released at a critical time and is well worth the read.
Hack the Planet May 25, 2010
Craig K. Comstock
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
If the climate and energy debates were a house, what would be the elephant in the living room? In family therapy, this phrase refers to a lumbering presence that's almost too dangerous to discuss.
What would play the role of the elephant? Is it the hope, often unspoken, that technology will save us? That if our globe is warming, some miraculous technique (perhaps not yet even known) will be developed and deployed just in time? That thanks to the promise of ingenuity, we don't have to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases produced by enormously useful and omnipresent fossil fuels? And that we can continue (at least as soon as the economy revives) with business as usual?
This hope must serve as at least part of the reason we haven't panicked. It lies deep in the American psyche that, when we have exhausted all other alternatives, we will be saved by a "machine from the gods" (to reverse a phrase from ancient drama) or rather by a technique from scientists and engineers.
This kind of last-minute salvation happened, for example, during our harrowing fight against the Axis. We needed to know where German subs were, and thanks to a genius named Alan Turing our side broke the enemy's naval code. Allies needed warning when hostile planes were approaching, and radar was invented. After a vicious fight across the Pacific, we needed to defeat Japan without an invasion of the home islands, and by then the Manhattan Project had produced a couple of deliverable atomic bombs.
Why reduce greenhouse gases if a technique will almost surely (or probably, or perhaps possibly) be developed that makes it unnecessary? For decades, scientists and others have floated various ideas for cooling the atmosphere. Together they are called "geoengineering" or, as science reporter Eli Kintisch says in the title of a brilliant and far-ranging new book, "hack[ing] the planet."
Geoengineering proposals take several forms: for example, you can try to reduce the solar radiation that reaches (or stays on) the earth. Proponents urge us to "brighten" clouds by spraying up droplets of sea water, as scientists are now trying to do with a little help from Bill Gates. Or let's simulate a volcano by seeding the stratosphere with sulfur particles (or some other chemical). Let's increase the reflectivity of some large surface by blanketing it with silicon balls. Let's, I don't know, let's deliver a cloud of mirrors into space between the earth and the sun.
Or you can try to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide, to get more of this troublesome gas out of the atmosphere. Make and bury "biochar" from plant materials, as in the Amazon of old. Dump iron powder in the seas and create algal blooms. Develop artificial trees or improve the existing ones by bioengineering. Or as Craig Venter proposes, bioengineer not trees but microorganisms to gobble CO2.
Or you can try to prevent CO2 from ever reaching the atmosphere by "sequestering" it, thus rendering coal combustion "clean," a wonderful challenge considering the cost and difficulty of capturing and pumping all the stuff and storing it securely. If practical, this technique would make a major difference: dirty as it is, coal generates more than half of our electricity and an even higher fraction in China.
A scientist may be drawn to a technique that seems "sweet" or "elegant"; an entrepreneur, to one that offers profit, perhaps from creating "offsets"; and a policy maker, to a technique that facilitates business as usual, causing no alarm to economic interests that contribute to campaigns and then surround him or her with lobbyists. And if the technique appeals to all three types of people, as some geoengineering project do, what's to stop it?
Well, experimentation on these methods hasn't got very far, perhaps because of the obvious danger of unintended consequences. What stands out in Kintisch's first-hand survey of the techniques is pervasive uncertainty. Science may know the planet is warming, but we don't know what to do about it, except reduce emissions globally or hope that our efforts to hack the planet aren't disastrous
On one half-page of Kintisch's book the following phrases appear:
"the United Nations couldn't say...
"scientists don't know...
"certainty is rare...
"it's unclear... [three times]
"we don't quite know...
"this chain of uncertainty ... restricts the ability of scientists to predict accurately...
"it's not an exact science..."
In other words, it's as if we're trying to find our way in an unfamiliar thicket of birch saplings in heavy fog. The white of uncertain menace hasn't looked so threatening since Melville's whale.
Nonetheless, we hesitate to insist on the reduction of emissions in the hope that a technique can prevent or undo the ghastly effects of climate change. What effects? Without considering all the ramifications, just think of a devastating reallocation of water, bringing drought to some regions, including fields that now yield food, and floods to other places not prepared for so much water, as in Kentucky or, a little earlier, New Orleans.
Kintisch writes his book as a well-informed, open-minded reporter, dutifully covering both the hopes of the proponents of hacking the planet, whom he calls the blue team, and the stoplight warnings of critics, the red team. (Actually, as his narrative makes clear, some of the "blue" players are nagged by questions, and some of the "red" ones, knowing the situation, hope that something will work.)
In Kintisch's view, a particularly troubling danger is that the sparkling promise of cheap geoengineering might function as a distraction from the serious, long-term work of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Another danger is that geoengineering experiments and possible deployment would be done in buccaneering style, without adequate oversight, exploiting for commercial motives the commons of the atmosphere and the seas.
In the last pages, Kintisch reveals his personal conclusion: "being forced to geoengineer would be a dismal fate" and "succumbing to the illusion of control" would mean replacing the burden of overhauling the world's energy system "with the much more risky burden of revolutionizing our relationship with the sky itself." Risky, dismal: when we discovered the less than obvious side effects, it might be too late.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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