Turning Deserts into Paradises: Geoengineering in Science, Practice, and Fiction in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This article studies the history of geoengineering in the West in the 19th and early 20th centuries in science, practice, and fiction. Visions of geoengineering at the time, it is argued, were shaped by the birth of climatology, colonial practices and ideals, and widespread techno-optimism. The mutual entanglement of humans and climate was recognised, inspiring speculation over utopian possibilities but also existential threats posed by geoengineering. In light of this history, it is suggested that there is a need to discard framings of geoengineering as a new approach to tackling climate change, rethink simplistic conceptions of Western modernity, and recognise the inherently political nature of technological visions.
Source: Diamond OA Journals at Cambridge
DOI: 10.60866/cam.134
Author: Lagercrantz, Oona
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6902355511
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