Page 35 - James Rodger Fleming - Fixing the sky

much of the Earth was incinerated, Phaethon was killed by a higher authority to
avoid further damage. And rightly so.
The story of Phaethon was invoked in 2007 by the noted meteorologist Kerry
Emanuel to frame a short discussion of contemporary climate change science
and politics. Emanuel, widely known and respected for his hurricane studies,
called attention to a growing scientific consensus on climate change prominently
and authoritatively spearheaded by today’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) reports, yet he admitted pointedly that “we are . . . conscious
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of our own collective ignorance of how the climate system works.” Abruptly
returning to myth, Emanuel ended his essay, “Like it or not, we have been handed
Phaeton’s reins, and we will have to learn how to control climate if we are to avoid
his fate” (69; emphasis added). Emanuel thus advocated repeating Phaethon’s
blunder. Think underage driver of gasoline tanker, taken with father’s permission,
veers out of control in reckless, high-speed chase before being subdued by the
authorities. or more globally, geoengineering project given the green light last
year results in the collapse of the Indian monsoon, leaving millions starving.
What about Emanuel’s final thought—that we “will have to learn how to con-
trol climate”? That is the subject of the final chapter of this book. Cambridge
scientist Ross Hoffman has proposed a speculative “star wars” system to redirect
hurricanes by beaming lasers at them from satellites—assuming one knew where
the storm was originally headed and that there would be no liabilities along its
new path. Is this an example of Phaethon’s reins? Since the Sun god Helios was
directly involved, what about other means of “solar radiation management,” such
as Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen’s suggestion (made in 2006, but actually a much
older idea) to cool the Earth by injecting sulfates or other reflective aerosols into
the tropical stratosphere? There are many, many more such dangerous and expen-
sive proposals of environmental control that invoke the inexperience and pos-
sible tragedy of the myth of Phaethon.
Remember, Helios made a fundamentally flawed decision to give his son the
reins, and that decision had catastrophic consequences. He did, however, give
Phaethon a piece of good advice about steering the Sun chariot through the mid-
dle course of the zodiacal signs. For humanity, the best we can do between this
world and the next is to admit our “own collective ignorance,” remain humble,
and avoid angering both the Sun god and his boss. Will this involve following
the “middle course” of collective energy efficiency, environmental stewardship,
and ethical choices? Certainly to do nothing is out of the question. But could
we try to do too much? Will someone or some group trying to “fix” the climate
repeat Phaethon’s blunder? Greek mythology is replete with such stories, charac-
ters, and moral lessons.

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