Experts call for a global moratorium on geoengineering efforts: Experts have voiced concerns about geoengineering the planet's climate — like managing the sun’s radiation — to mitigate the effects of climate change as greenhouse gas emissions continue rising, The Guardian writes. Geoengineering is among the most controversial methods of mitigating the effects of rapid climate change, yet no agreements are in place on how countries or businesses should implement it. The Climate Overshoot Commission has called for more resources to be put into adapting to extreme weather effects, phasing out fossil fuels, and adapting more technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCUS) and direct air capture (DAC).

Effective but tricky: Geoengineering’s main focus is managing the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface by injecting chemicals into the atmosphere to whiten clouds so they reflect more sunlight or setting up mirrors in Earth's orbit. The panel warned that the effect of these activities is not yet fully understood and they could have dangerous impacts on climate patterns and agricultural production. Geoengineering also does not address the increasing acidity of the ocean, which absorbs about a quarter of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. There is also the risk of a termination shock if geoengineering is used, then stopped, while emissions continue rising.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• Methane emissions from oil and gas are higher than reported: Satellite observations have revealed a 30% disparity in actual and reported emissions by the oil and gas industry reported in four countries — the US, Russia, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan. The satellite data raises questions about the statistics submitted to the UN. These statistics are based on emission factors, which are estimates of the typical methane emissions produced by equipment. (Bloomberg)