Rules sought for use of climate intervention

International rules are needed to govern intentional large-scale interventions in the Earth's natural systems to cool the planet, given unknown risks and consequences, experts said. They discussed the issue while participating in the fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum in Beijing, which concluded on Friday.

The sizzling temperatures in the northern hemisphere over the summer have been a reminder of climate change, and the weather extremes may be only the beginning of what scientists have been warning of for years, they said.

"Some scientists are now warning of a 'hothouse Earth' scenario, in which breaching the Paris temperature goals may set in motion other climate events that could effectively render large parts of the planet uninhabitable," said Janos Pasztor, executive director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative, at a parallel event at the forum.