The video delves into the potential future scenarios where climate intervention becomes necessary, focusing on a hypothetical situation where India is driven to employ such measures due to catastrophic heat waves. It illustrates India's independent action to cool the global climate by releasing particles into the stratosphere, highlighting the complexity and risks involved in this type of climate modification technique, known as solar radiation modification.

The video underscores the importance of research and collaboration in understanding and implementing climate interventions safely, given the unknowns and potential risks like changes in monsoon patterns and ozone layer damage. It draws comparisons to past events, such as the Mount Pinatubo eruption, which unintentionally demonstrated the cooling effects of increased atmospheric particles. The presenter emphasizes the need for informed decision-making at a global level, referencing the successful international collaboration seen in the Montreal Protocol.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. stratosphere [ˈstrætəˌsfɪr] - (noun) - The layer of Earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 50 km above the Earth's surface. - Synonyms: (atmospheric layer, sky, air)

The indian government uses the best option it can find for relief. It flies airplanes into the stratosphere to release streams of particles to slightly increase the reflection of sunlight.

2. intervention [ˌɪntərˈvɛnʃən] - (noun) - The act of becoming intentionally involved in a difficult situation, in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse. - Synonyms: (mediation, intercession, interference)

But it made this climate intervention on its own, and it worked.

3. visualization [ˌvɪʒuələˈzeɪʃən] - (noun) - The formation of a mental image of something. - Synonyms: (imaging, envisioning, conceptualization)

This is a visualization of the reflection of sunlight from clouds and particles in the atmosphere.

4. phenomenon [fəˈnɑːməˌnɑːn] - (noun) - A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question. - Synonyms: (occurrence, event, circumstance)

It's the same phenomenon that causes the earth to look like a shiny blue dot from space.

5. disparities [dɪˈspærɪtiz] - (noun) - A great difference. - Synonyms: (inequality, incongruity, discrepancy)

It's tougher because there are big disparities between different countries ability to engage in the research.

6. sophisticated [səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtɪd] - (adjective) - Having, revealing, or involving a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture. - Synonyms: (complex, advanced, refined)

This type of moonshot research requires sophisticated capabilities that are concentrated in technologically developed countries.

7. mega complex [ˈmɛɡə ˈkɒmplɛks] - (adjective) - Extremely complicated or intricate. - Synonyms: (intricate, elaborate, multifaceted)

Things like massive supercomputers that can run mega complex climate models.

8. catastrophic [ˌkætəˈstrɑːfɪk] - (adjective) - Involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering. - Synonyms: (disastrous, calamitous, devastating)

With its enormous climate risks, India has a lot to gain by working with the world early to look at options for protecting its people from catastrophic climate impacts.

9. mitigating [ˈmɪtɪˌgeɪtɪŋ] - (verb) - To make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful. - Synonyms: (alleviating, reducing, easing)

Global collaboration and research are essential to mitigating risks and effectively addressing climate change through informed interventions.

10. pivotal [ˈpɪvətl] - (adjective) - Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else. - Synonyms: (central, crucial, vital)

With its talent, India could play a pivotal role in moving climate intervention research forward.

Could India Help the World Address Extreme Climate Change? - Kelly Wanser - TEDxGateway

It's 21. 32. And a massive heat wave strikes India, similar to the extreme heat wave from earlier this year, but a more extreme version, in which the combination of temperature and humidity are higher than the human body can bear. The millions die within days. Across India, people are demanding help. The indian government uses the best option it can find for relief. It flies airplanes into the stratosphere to release streams of particles to slightly increase the reflection of sunlight. Not enough to see, but enough to cool the climate. And it cools the climate all over the world. The indian government lets people know that it's doing this. It even asks other countries for help. But it made this climate intervention on its own, and it worked. But no one knows what happens next.

Now, some version of this scenario has, with India at the center of it has recently been in science fiction novels, in academic workshops, and even in a meeting of us security experts. Why is that? This is a visualization of the reflection of sunlight from clouds and particles in the atmosphere. It's the same phenomenon that causes the earth to look like a shiny blue dot from space. Scientists think that by increasing this reflection of sunlight by just 1%, they could offset two degrees or more of global warming. Why do they think that? Partly because it's happening already.

These are clouds on the US Pacific west coast. Those lovely bright streaks that you see are actually pollution particles from ships that mix with clouds in ways that make them slightly brighter. Collectively, this can produce a big effect. This effect is happening with all pollution. The same particles in pollution that make it hard to breathe also create a shield that slightly cools the climate. As we clean up pollution like we need to, we're losing this shield. So scientists have proposed researching cleaner, safer ways to produce the same effect. This intentional form of climate intervention is sometimes called solar radiation modification.

And the top candidates for solar radiation modification include dispersing in mist of sea salt spray from ocean water to produce effects like ships do with our pollution, and, like in our original scenario, to release particles from aircraft in the stratosphere to cool the climate.

Now, could that actually work? Scientists think it could, partly because it's happened recently. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it cooled the climate up to 0.5 degrees celsius for over a year, until the sulfate particles from the volcano fell back to Earth. So recently, scientists have begun to study what longer term effects might look like in this climate model simulation from the US. They found that global surface temperatures could be safer with climate intervention in the stratosphere than in a world with high emissions and unchecked warming. So that's promising.

But the problem is, we don't know nearly enough about this. The UN recently released a report describing the unknowns, including some big risks, like changes to the indian monsoon and damage to the world's protective ozone layer. But they recommended research in these potentially risky climate interventions because the world is facing such enormous risks in near term climate change. And they recommended this research so that the world could make informed decisions about these things and make those decisions together.

Research has begun to emerge around the world. The challenge is that the climate system is very big and very complex. We already have a hard time predicting the effects of greenhouse gases and other pollution. Now we hope to predict a future in which we add climate interventions. It's a tough problem and it's tougher because there are big disparities between different countries ability to engage in the research.

This type of moonshot research requires sophisticated capabilities that are concentrated in technologically developed countries. Things like massive supercomputers that can run mega complex climate models, like specialized chambers that can simulate the stratosphere, like this NASA chamber in the us state of Ohio. And like specialized aircraft like this NASA WB 57 that has some of the qualities of a spaceship. It's one of only four research aircraft in the world that can fly in the stratosphere.

Now, I am not a climate scientist. I spent many years of my career working in computer networking, where the majority of engineers and many of the CEO's are from India, including one of my heroes, Jai Sree Yulal from Arista networks. Look her up. My experience of India was as a global source of technical experts and visionary leaders. Probably like many of you here in the room, India has an enormous amount at stake in the impacts of climate change. But it also has tremendous potential to help with climate solutions.

One of the early researchers in climate intervention and current global experts is the exceptional Govinda Samibala from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. In 2016, Bala's lab published a paper describing a solar radiation modification research program for India that didn't get funded. But it did get us young researchers like Jiyot Senh. I completed my PhD in India and when I started working on climate intervention by 2016. And I have not seen increase in research, at least in terms of institutions in India, since 2016. So I think the lack of funding and the lack of exposure are definitely two things that are limiting the research on climate intervention, and we need to improve and increase exposure.

India has talent for climate intervention research. It also has something else that's rare. It has a space program and because it has a space program, it has experience in research in the stratosphere, including recently in a campaign using sophisticated balloons launched by the TIFR in Hyderabad.

So, going back to our scenario, what should India do, and what should the world do now on climate intervention? With its talent, India could play a pivotal role in moving climate intervention research forward. With its enormous climate risks, India has a lot to gain by working with the world early to look at options for protecting its people from catastrophic climate impacts.

The world needs to make informed decisions together. The good news is, it's done this before. The Montreal protocol is a groundbreaking agreement in which the world came together to protect us from a catastrophic hole in the ozone layer and more recently, from powerful greenhouse gases. It uses science and information to protect people from catastrophic threats to humanity. All of the countries in the world are party to its agreements, and they work together effectively to keep us safe.

So, with that inspiration in mind, perhaps now we can have a new scenario, one in which we research climate interventions early, before things get too desperate, one in which the world applies that learning to make decisions, smart decisions about climate interventions together, and one in which India helps to drive that learning. Thank you.

India, Solar Radiation Modification, Climate Intervention, Innovation, Science, Technology, Tedx Talks