We hear a lot of talk about geoengineering as a way around the problems caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The argument usually centers around the technical feasibility of such efforts, but I'm here to tell you there is a human element to this as well.
I live in a small city located about mid-way between Washington DC and West Virginia. The county likes to think it is still rural, but truth be told, suburbanization has taken its toll.
Still, things weren't always like that. When we first moved here, the local newspaper still had a distinctly rural outlook. Letters to the editor were as often about cows as cars.
Farmers in my county viewed cloud seeding - which is really just a form of geo-engineering the atmosphere - with deep suspicion. Their fear was that someone else's gain was their loss. And who is to say they weren't right.
One other thing. Politicians listen to farmers. Rural voters still matter a great deal. If you don't think so just look at the jockeying for support from farm-state representatives as the U. S. Congress works on cap and trade legislation.
All I'm saying is that we shouldn't assume that a technological solution to a difficult problem will be seen as an unalloyed blessing. Farmers are among the most stubborn and opinionated people on the globe. That's as true in Bangladesh as it is in Iowa.
This essay first appeared in PlanetRestart.org
