The New York Times: Response to Nocera

New York Times, Letter, 27 May 2015

To the editor:

Joe Nocera’s otherwise helpful column suggests that we turn to geoengineering instead of “hoping that
humans will start reducing their carbon use.” It’s dead wrong to suggest that geoengineering should be
used to get us out of the need to cut emissions. If we want a stable climate, we will need to stop using
the atmosphere as a dump for our waste carbon. Moreover, we can make deep cuts in emissions with
tools available today such as solar and nuclear power.

Mr. Nocera cites me as “perhaps the foremost proponent of geoengineering.” I am not a proponent of
geoengineering; I’m a proponent of reality, and thus a proponent of research that could teach us more
about the efficacy and risks of geoengineering.

DAVID KEITH Calgary, Alberta

The writer is a professor of applied physics and of public policy at Harvard and executive chairman of
Carbon Engineering, which develops technology to capture carbon from the atmosphere.

Original post on The New York Times