geoengineering en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Pre-Greek der. Proto-Hellenic *gayader. Ancient Greek γαῖᾰ (gaîă)clip. Ancient Greek γῆ (gê) Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-) Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-)der. English geo- English engineer English -ing English engineering English geoengineering From geo- + engineering.
Meanings
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(uncountable) The subfield of engineering concerned with designing and constructing tunnels, mines, and other human-designed geologic structures within and on earth.
“You could say it's one of the first geoengineering projects ever,” says [Carlo] Ratti of the patchwork of land-spattered lagoon that human ingenuity formed into a city, as we settle on the terrace of the Hotel Monaco with an espresso. “This wasn't meant for human living.”
2025 April 26, Caroline Roux, “The age of adaption”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC:
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(uncountable) The artificial manipulation of the environments of a planet, especially Earth, especially as a means of counteracting global warming.
A scientist gets into geoengineering, they're not a scientist anymore, they're a politician. Get hate mail, rocks through window, no one takes their real work seriously, all that.
2020, Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry for the Future, Little, Brown Book Group, →ISBN:Although the panel does not support even pilot programs, it calls geoengineering “technically feasible in terms of cooling effects and costs” and says it has “the potential to affect greenhouse warming on a substantial scale.”
1991 May 20, Sharon Begley, “On the Wings of Icarus”, in Newsweek, page 42:Near-synonyms: planetary engineering, terraforming
Although he views large-scale geoengineering as an act of profound hubris[…]he thinks it may be necessary as an emergency measure, much like kidney dialysis is necessary to a person whose health is failing.
2007 November 1, Jeff Goodell, “James Lovelock, the Prophet”, in Rolling Stone:
Relateds
Synonyms
planetary engineering · terraforming
Translations (16)
de Geoengineering (manipulation of environments) · ka გეოინჟინერია (manipulation of environments) · nl geo-engineering (manipulation of environments) · pl geoinżynieria (subfield of engineering) · cmn 地質工程 /地质工程 (subfield of engineering) · hu geomérnökség (manipulation of environments) · ga geo-innealtóireacht (manipulation of environments) · is loftslagsverkfræði (manipulation of environments) · fi ilmastonmuokkaus (manipulation of environments) · cmn 地球工程 (manipulation of environments) · pl geoinżynieria (manipulation of environments) · fi geotekniikka (subfield of engineering) · cmn 岩土工程 (subfield of engineering) · fr géoingénierie (subfield of engineering) · cmn 氣候工程 /气候工程 (manipulation of environments) · fr géo-ingénieurie (subfield of engineering)