Climate Restoration Strategy Using Iron Salt Aerosols

Abstract:

Observational evidence and mathematical analysis demonstrate that interacting climate feedback mechanisms have been triggered that have the potential to rapidly increase the rate at which climate change is progressing, and to make that change irreversible on any human relevant timescale. There is insufficient knowledge of these feedback mechanisms and the correlations between them to allow their robust incorporation into climate models, so the focus of intergovernmental policy on climate change should be to consider the worst case scenarios, rather than median outcomes.

These observations, in conjunction with the well-known multi-thousand year persistence of CO₂ in the global ecosystem, lead us to the inescapable conclusion that climate intervention must focus on two short-term objectives. These are removal of short lived greenhouse gases, such as methane and tropospheric ozone, which have radiative forcing potentials that are orders of magnitude greater than CO₂ on a per molecule comparison and on solar radiation management.

Our presentation will discuss how the use of Iron Salt Aerosols (ISA) can achieve these objectives by photocatalytically breaking down methane into simpler, less damaging gases as well as increasing the amount of Cloud Condensate Nucleation Particles (CCN) to brighten marine clouds both directly and indirectly through enhanced Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emissions from the ocean surface, whilst providing the basis for long term drawdown of CO₂.

We will also discuss our plans for rapid global deployment and scaleup of ISA as well as the projected benefits, risks, and low costs of this climate interventional strategy, and how its inherent characteristics form the basis of a long term climate stabilization solution with minimal termination risk.