Competitors must attempt to answer 240 questions, such as the following, from 2022: "Playing for Bangalore against Pune in the IPL in April 2013, who set a new record for the fastest century in professional cricket by reaching 100 off 30 balls?" If it makes you feel better, the median number of correct answers the year of that test was 64.
A few months ago, Marjorie Taylor Greene, then a Georgia representative, held a hearing on her bill to ban research on geoengineering, which refers to technological climate interventions, such as using reflective particles to reflect away sunlight. The hearing represented something of a first a Republican raising alarm bells about human activity altering the health of the planet. Of course, for centuries, people have burned fossil fuels to power and feed society, emitting greenhouse gases that now overheat the planet.
Advocates for geoengineering-or, at a minimum, of pursuing research into geoengineering-say that such risks impose obligations. They note that, since attempts to limit warming have failed, it's incumbent on humanity to consider all the options. "If sunlight reflection could save lives and protect the environment, it is at least worth discussing," David Keith and Zeke Hausfather, both climate scientists, wrote in a recent essay for the Times. "I don't think we have the luxury of saying there are certain options we don't explore and study," Yedvab, the co-founder of Stardust, said. "Just as a metaphor, if there is one person in a household who's in a crisis, you want to make sure that you have all the options in front of you of how to deal with this crisis."
In an eleventh-hour attempt to slow down global warming, some scientists have been proposing - or even testing, at a small scale - whether releasing aerosolized particles into the atmosphere to dim the Sun could lower global temperatures, effectively mimicking the effects of volcanic eruptions. It's a controversial idea that has drawn plenty of criticism from the scientific community as well, with experts pointing out the substantial societal implications and effectiveness of turning down the Sun's rays.
Do we believe in God and that he has dominion over his perfect creation of planet Earth? Do we believe that he has given us everything we need to survive as a civilization since the beginning of time? Or do you believe in man's claim of authority over the weather, based on scientists that have only been alive for decades and weren't here to witness the climate changes since the beginning of time?
Proposals to fight the impact of the climate crisis at the poles, from giant underwater curtains to scattering glass beads across the ice, have been dismissed by a group of scientists as an unimaginably expensive and dangerous distraction. Geoengineering, which includes blocking sunlight with airborne particles and thickening ice with pumped seawater, has become highly divisive among scientists. Its proponents argue that, with cuts in carbon emissions going far too slowly, exploring options for emergency brakes would be valuable.
