英検 1級 要約問題 サンプル練習問題 ④ The Growing Influence of Geoengineering

Read the article below and summarize it in your own words as far as possible in English.

Summarize it between 90 and 110 words.

 

 

      In recent years, geoengineering—the deliberate large-scale manipulation of Earth’s natural systems—has attracted increasing attention as a possible response to accelerating climate change. Among the most widely discussed proposals are techniques intended to reflect sunlight away from the planet or to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Although these approaches were once regarded as speculative, technological advances and mounting environmental concerns have prompted governments and research institutions to consider whether such interventions could complement existing mitigation efforts. As climate-related disruptions intensify, some observers suggest that geoengineering may soon shift from a theoretical concept to a practical instrument, raising complex questions about its feasibility, governance, and broader implications.

      Proponents maintain that geoengineering could function as a critical safeguard against the most severe consequences of global warming. Even if emissions reductions proceed steadily, climate systems may continue to deteriorate due to the long-term accumulation of greenhouse gases, and geoengineering could help stabilize environmental conditions during this transitional period. Moreover, supporters emphasize its potential cost-effectiveness relative to the economic devastation associated with unchecked climate change. From this standpoint, declining to explore geoengineering may appear increasingly imprudent, particularly when conventional strategies alone may prove insufficient to prevent irreversible ecological disruption and social instability.

      Nevertheless, others caution that interventions of this magnitude could generate unintended and possibly irreversible consequences. Altering atmospheric or oceanic processes may disrupt established climatic patterns, with ramifications extending beyond national borders and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. Furthermore, some analysts warn that the mere availability of geoengineering could weaken political and public commitment to emissions reduction by fostering complacency. If technological remedies reduce the perceived urgency of addressing underlying causes, reliance on geoengineering may ultimately aggravate the very problem it was intended to resolve, rather than meaningfully contain escalating environmental risks.