Weather Or Not

I hear Super Freakonomics, the sequel to the surprise bestseller Freakonomics, suggests that geoengineering might be an important component in the fight against global warming. It might very well be. Certainly it's worth looking into.

I also hear some environmentalists are attacking the book, saying geoengineering has all sorts of unintended consequences. They may also be right. But you know what else has consequences, intended and unintended? Trillions of dollars worth? Forcing people to cut carbon emissions.

It's hard to say what's the best solution to the situation, but we've got to try to figure it out. And our judgment shouldn't be clouded by the belief that suffering to return the earth to a more "natural" state is somehow more noble than "unnaturally" changing the weather.