Earth system engineering: The art of dealing wisely with the planet Earth

Authors:

Axel Kleidon, P Wilderer, R Weiler

Abstract: In the past, most of the regional to global challenges that have been overcome have been approached with a relatively straightforward strategy that resulted in human responses that converted the changes back to the preindustrial state (e.g. acid rain, ozone destruction, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions). But for other, and upcoming, global challenges, the trade-offs involved are far more complex, and the pre-industrial target seems impossible to achieve. For instance, the conversion of natural forests to agricultural lands results in a direct trade-off of preserving the pre-industrial, natural state versus the need for food production for a growing world population. Do we use agricultural products to meet our food demands, or our energy needs? Do we increase the use of hydropower to liberate us from the dependence of fossil fuels, or do we remove dams to restore natural river flow? All these decisions will have strong consequences for human well-being and the natural world, including the diversity and functioning of the biosphere, the rates at which geochemical elements are cycled, and, ultimately, the functioning of the Earth system as a whole. Do we have adequate management and engineering strategies to deal with these complex challenges? How do we balance the consequences of one challenge with the consequences of another? This contribution reports the discussions and conclusions from a workshop held in September 2008 in Bavaria, Germany on the topic of “Earth system engineering – the art of dealing wisely with the Planet Earth”. It brought together an interdisciplinary group of people from various disciplines. Discussions held during the workshop focussed on a better understanding of the complex nature of the earth system, its physical, chemical and biological dimension as well as its social, cultural and economic dimension and on the question what technology developers and engineers are supposed to come up with to make sure that actual problems on the regional scale are solved without compromising the function of the earth system as a whole. In this context, ideas such as shading the earth, cooling the ocean, building large dams, diverting ocean currents and jet streams and engineering weather conditions were critically reviewed. It should be secured that a steady state is eventually reached characterized by man living in harmony with nature.

Reference:

• IOP Conference Series: Earth Environment, 6, doi: 10.1088/1755-1307/6/45/452004, 2009.