@mhagle
Sulfur dioxide prevents solar radiation hitting the ground because it reflects infrared energy back out into space. This phenomena was what confused scientists back in the 50's and 60's because, despite the increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere, the earths surface was actually getting cooler. When industry started to clean up its act, they stopped spewing SO2 and particulates (these were the main components of the lethal smogs which were enveloping major cities in the 40's and 50's), the earth's surface began to warm as was predicted.

The problems with adding SO2 to the atmosphere is it produces acid rain which acidifies lakes and soils. This can be fatal to forests and many animals such as birds and fish. Power plants must now limit how much SO2 is produced or they will get shut down. We have spent decades reducing SO2 emmisions due to damage to the environment.

Acid Rain
This dangerous precipitation can have serious consequences for the ecosystem.

Causes

Acid rain describes any form of precipitation with high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. It can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry material that settle to Earth.

Rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release some chemicals that can cause acid rain, but most acid rain falls because of human activities. The biggest culprit is the burning of fossil fuels by coal-burning power plants, factories, and automobiles.

When humans burn fossil fuels, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are released into the atmosphere. These chemical gases react with water, oxygen, and other substances to form mild solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid. Winds may spread these acidic solutions across the atmosphere and over hundreds of miles. When acid rain reaches Earth, it flows across the surface in runoff water, enters water systems, and sinks into the soil.
...

After Decades of Acid Rain Damage, Northeastern Forests Are Finally Making a Comeback

Good news on the environment front, folks: the effects of acid rain on forests in the northeastern US and eastern Canada are finally starting to reverse, nearly forty years after the United States began passing environmental legislation to control the problem.

That’s according to a new, USGS-led study, which examined soil acidity and toxin levels at 27 sites in the northeastern US and eastern Canada, all of which have experienced declining levels of acid rain over the past 8 to 24 years. The study, published today in Environmental Science and Technology, finds that aluminum concentrations (a telltale sign of acid rain damage) have declined while pH has increased in the upper soil layers across nearly all sites.

In other words, forests are finally starting to recover from an environmental problem we identified decades ago and took legislative action to fix.

Large volcanic eruptions will cool the earth due to SO2 and particulate injection into the atmosphere but there are downsides that can be catastrophic for our environment.
Paul Beckwith seems to be some sort of kook.

. . . that we need to shoot sulfur into the stratosphere above the poles.

When I have read about this possible solution before, it was always loaded with caution. Because we really don't know what sorts of other problems it may create.

But I think we are out of time. His point is that we need to reverse melting at the poles. Then he says this will buy us time to move to renewables, etc.

The interesting thing is that we have all of the technology and materials to do this tomorrow.

It actually gives me hope.

@bygorry

fyi
GeoengineeringWatch.org is a website devoted to discussion of materials being put into the atmosphere for various purposes and intents.

@peachcreek As for torque and speed, my Leaf rips off the line. It's pure torque.
Only larger motocycles are quicker. Love stop light grand prixing with this thing. It does eat more battery power though. But what fun looking at the surprised faces in my rear view.

Now, could someone do a EV conversion on a Ford F150 or something that folks in my neighborhood seem to like to drive? Now *that* could change things. It's a hard problem, but these folks would really respond to higher torque and speed I think. Couple that with the libertarian self-sufficiency that green energy can provide and adoption might be faster. Maybe not as fast as we need, but any model that has more mass adoption seems to me to be crucial.
Me, I've got my bicycles. I'm lucky enough to not need anything else.