Without solar geoengineering to deal with climate change, will Earth inevitably become inhabitable? The hugely controversial, if probably inexpensive, proposal — to cool the planet by using aerosols or other methods to reflect away some of the Sun’s radiation — defines economist Gernot Wagner’s thought-provoking study. Two decades ago, he considered the idea “nuts”. He still does, but today he advocates extensive new research and thinks we have to take the “gamble”, despite the risks. The issue is now “not if, but when”.
The need for massive upfront investments and the likelihood of significant job displacement imply remarkable parallels between the AI buildout and the green transition. In both cases, the state has an important role to play in guiding market forces on behalf of the public good.
