Global Warming Is Causing Even More Problems Than You Realize

The change in atmospheric conditions described above will not only shrink the time window available for making observations, but it will also result in a net loss in observation data quality. Highlighting the impact of these serious changes on sophisticated telescopes, lead author Caroline Haslebacher warns about “a higher risk of condensation due to an increased dew point or malfunctioning cooling systems, which can lead to more air turbulence in the telescope dome.”

However, it is not just the quality of observations that are going to be affected as climate change patterns worsen in the coming years. In fact, it also makes it more complex for scientists to narrow down the sites for installing next-generation telescopes. Construction costs are going to rise and there will also be an additional financial burden of rising maintenance costs for astronomical observation facilities.

But the streak of bad news doesn’t end there. Among the many solutions that scientists are exploring to somehow mitigate the effects of global warming and fix Earth’s climate, one rather ambitious proposal is bioengineering the planet’s atmosphere. Artificially creating clouds to reflect back the sunlight is among the suggestions to lower the planet’s temperature. But in doing so, the night sky will also get noticeably brighter and the resulting light pollution will further make astronomical observations difficult.