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Could the chemical industry mitigate rapid global cooling from a catastrophic volcanic eruption?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Estimates based on historical data place the probability of a catastrophic volcanic eruption in the next 100 years at around one in six. Large volcanic eruptions can lead to significant global cooling for 2–4 years, with potentially devastating impacts on global agriculture. In principle, the negative impacts of volcano‐induced cooling could be reduced by deliberate emission of short‐lived chemicals with high greenhouse gas intensity into the atmosphere. This article examines the physical feasibility of this concept for a wide range of short‐lived climate pollutants, using the global chemical industry for context. Deliberate emission of any known chemical species would require gigatons of material, which would have to be produced and stored far in advance of the volcanic event. The cost of this undertaking would be immense. In addition to these daunting logistical challenges, a range of other uncertainties and complications associated with this concept are discussed.

Source: AIChE Journal

DOI: 10.1002/aic.18854

Author: David S. Sholl

Institution: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Climate Change and Geoengineering

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,940