Dimming the Sun
BBC Inside Science
Episode Insights
See all- The academic system poses significant challenges to scientists, often leading to difficulties in funding pioneering research, which could potentially result in missed scientific breakthroughs.
- Discrimination within academia, based on factors like gender or nationality, creates additional barriers to success, as exemplified by Dr. Katalin Karik贸, whose Hungarian background and accent may have affected her funding opportunities in the American academic system.
- Dr. Katalin Karik贸's perseverance despite constant grant rejections and potential discrimination is inspiring and highlights the need for systemic changes to better support researchers and foster innovation.
- Geoengineering as a climate change solution is highly controversial and faces political and governance challenges, particularly with getting global consensus on its use.
- The potential negative impacts of geoengineering on climate change mitigation efforts are a concern, with fears that it could be misconstrued as an excuse to delay reducing fossil fuel emissions.
- Implementing geoengineering, such as stratospheric aerosol injection, carries risks and uncertainties, emphasizing the need for careful consideration and governance in pursuing these methods.
- The proposal for a UN expert group on solar geoengineering's withdrawal at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi demonstrates the contentious nature of this issue and the difficulty in achieving international agreement on it.
- Geoengineering proposals have previously led to unintended negative consequences, such as desert albedo geoengineering, underlining the importance of cautious exploration of these solutions.
- The story of Dr. Katalin Karik贸, whose dedication to mRNA research ultimately contributed to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, serves as a powerful testament to the role individual scientists play in making groundbreaking contributions despite systemic obstacles in the scientific community.