Termination Shock: Science Fiction Meets Dutch Reality
The planet is becoming increasingly uninhabitable. China and India are engaged in war, but only through non-lethal hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, the daughter of King Willem-Alexander abdicates her throne to become queen of the Netherworld.
Plot Overview
Neal Stephenson’s Termination Shock explores a future Earth where low-lying countries, including the Netherlands, advocate a solar geoengineering plan to halt global warming. The story begins with the fictional Dutch royal Saskia, a pilot like Willem-Alexander, crashing her plane in the United States.
Key Events
- Due to extreme temperatures, Saskia is forced to reroute and makes an emergency landing in Waco, Texas.
- She has been invited by a Texas oilman to support a proposal to release sulfur dioxide canisters into the atmosphere.
- This plan simulates volcanic eruptions to lower global temperatures through a process called solar radiation modification.
Solar Radiation Modification Explained
This technique, while sounding like science fiction, has been proposed as a real method to combat the climate crisis by reflecting sunlight away from Earth.
The book’s title refers to a sudden spike in global warming that could happen if geoengineering efforts were abruptly halted.
Real-world proposals for solar radiation modification face significant criticism, and the novel highlights the potential risks involved with such technologies.
Author’s Summary
Termination Shock offers a vivid fictional exploration of geoengineering’s promise and perils, blending imaginative science with concerns about global climate actions and Dutch cultural elements.
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