Turning Deserts into Paradises: Geoengineering in Science, Practice, and Fiction in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

This article studies the history of geoengineering in the West in the 19th and early 20th centuries in science, practice, and fiction. Visions of geoengineering at the time, it is argued, were shaped by the birth of climatology, colonial practices and ideals, and widespread techno-optimism. The mutual entanglement of humans and climate was recognised, inspiring speculation over utopian possibilities but also existential threats posed by geoengineering. In light of this history, it is suggested that there is a need to discard framings of geoengineering as a new approach to tackling climate change, rethink simplistic conceptions of Western modernity, and recognise the inherently political nature of technological visions.