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2.5ºC–3ºC Is Not Viable: Dr. Mike MacCracken’s Case for Solar Radiation Management

Nick Breeze

Nick Breeze

Climate journalist and host of the ClimateGenn podcast.


In this ClinateGenn episode I am speaking with Dr Mike MacCracken, a pioneering climate scientist whose research on atmospheric physics and global climate change has significantly advanced our understanding of human impacts on the climate system. His leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the US Global Change Research Program established him as a key figure in climate science. As chief scientist for the Office of the US Global Change Research Program, he played a crucial role in advising multiple US administrations on climate science and policy.

“I don’t think we’re going to do very well at all at two and a half or three degrees where the Damocles sword equivalent is that the ice sheets are going to melt and they’re going to cause rapid rise in sea level.”

Dr Mike MacCracken
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In this episode we explore counter and cross-over views to opposition to solar geoengineering. With great respect to experts on all sides of this discussion– Mike offers some compelling reasons as to why we cannot just denounce proposals to cool the planet.

This is at a time when the UK government is significantly funding research into solar geoengineering. With such a split in views on this topic, I hope you take the time to consider what Mike says, and also what Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert says in a previous episode, in order to inform your own perspective.

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Nick Breeze
Climate journalist and host of the ClimateGenn podcast.