Climate Repair Techniques

In this enlightening conversation at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Paul Beckwith interviews Dr. Hugh Hunt, Professor of Engineering Dynamics and Vibration at the University of Cambridge and Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Repair.

This video was recorded on November 18th, 2024, and published on December 27th, 2024, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

Dr. Hunt shares his insights on climate engineering techniques, emphasizing the urgent need for research and implementation of geoengineering solutions to address the escalating climate crisis.

The discussion delves into various climate repair strategies, including solar radiation management, carbon dioxide removal, and methane mitigation. Dr. Hunt explains the potential of cloud brightening and stratospheric aerosol injection to cool the planet, drawing parallels with natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions. He also addresses the controversies surrounding geoengineering research, highlighting the importance of ethical and responsible engineering in developing climate solutions.

Throughout the interview, Dr. Hunt stresses the inevitability of deploying geoengineering techniques to buy time as the world struggles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He discusses the SPICE project, current research efforts, and the challenges of scaling up these technologies. The conversation concludes with a sobering reflection on the urgency of action to prevent severe consequences like global food shortages and rapid sea-level rise, underscoring the critical role of climate engineering in safeguarding the future for generations to come.

Links:

• The Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge (CCRC)

• Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb

• Practice run for Dambusters ‘bouncing bomb’ demo at the Royal Albert Hall

• Digging the Great Escape

• Escape from Colditz

• SPICE

• Beyond Emissions Reduction (CEF Video)

• Marine Cloud Brightening (CEF Video)

• No 1.5 Without Intervention (CEF Video)

• Methane Emergency (CEF Video)

Special Guest:

• Professor Hugh Hunt - is Reader in Engineering at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and Chair of the Cambridge Climate Lecture Series. He was Co-PI of the SPICE Project which investigated the feasibility of stratospheric aerosol injection for Solar Radiation Management (SRM). Hugh is a leader in public engagement for science and engineering and a recipient of the RAEng Rooke Award.

Regular Panelists:

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Acknowledgement:

We’d like to acknowledge The International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) who helped us to attend COP29.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: crowander.com

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions