Summary

The Royal Society, Britain’s academy of science, in 2009 called for a Plan B if governments did not reduce emissions. Two years later, the Society issued a report stating that the only remedy for global warming could be a partial blocking of the sun. The World Academy of Sciences and the Environmental Defense Fund were chosen to co-sponsor a retreat to iron out details about the geo-engineering necessary to develop an emergency plan.

Klein reports that the retreat focused on geo-engineering methodology that the scientists believed had the most potential. Solar Radiation Management (SRM) was one of the methods reviewed. The process would manage the amount of sunlight that reached earth. According to Klein, other methods were discussed like the Pinatubo Option named after the eruption of the Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines. The scientists at the retreat discussed the pros...