By 
January 2nd, 2017
Credit: NASA
This week there’s an impressive gathering of astronomers at the 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The celestial confab is taking place January 3-7 in Grapevine, Texas.
Along with a host of papers and speakers is a special AAS session on “Geoengineering the Atmosphere to Fight Climate Change: Should Astronomers Worry about It?”
Growing concern
The session is hosted by the AAS Sustainability Committee on the issue that may be of growing concern to astronomers.
As defined by the committee, “geoengineering” — or large-scale engineering plans to modify the atmosphere in an attempt to offset the effects of global warming, such as by injecting aerosols globally to reflect sunlight.
Credit: AAS Sustainability Committee
Several researchers studying geoengineering, including astronomers, will present widely divergent views on the merits and risks of geoengineering and other climate interventions, both for ground-based astronomy, which of course must gaze through the atmosphere, and for the long-term stability of the Earth’s climate system.
Environmental impact
The mission of the AAS Sustainability Committee is “to inform and support AAS members in matters relating to the environmental impact of our work and provide facts, information and recommendations to its members for engaging in dialogue with students, colleagues and the broader world community.”
For more information on the overall AAS meeting, go to:
https://aas.org/meetings/aas229
For additional information on the AAS Sustainability Committee, go to:
Posted in Space News
