What If a Tech CEO Tried to Save the World With Geoengineering? An Excerpt From ‘Veil’

Eliot Peper’s new science fiction thriller ‘Veil’ imagines a world in which the wealthy and powerful can hijack the climate at will

Eliot Peper
OneZero

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An illustration of the Earth balancing on a triangular peak, tilting toward one side
Image: Daniel Grizelj/Photodisc/Getty Images

As the climate crisis grows increasingly dire, a radical question is appearing on more politicians’ lips: What if we geoengineer our way out of the mess? The notion that we could reduce global temperatures with a sweeping technical fix and for relatively cheaply — by, say, spraying particulates into the sky to block the sunlight — is at first blush rather appealing. But then it would likely produce drastic and potentially devastating unintended consequences, too.

Enter Eliot Peper’s latest book, Veil. Peper’s work always has a ‘next five-minutes-to-five years in the future’ vibe, and the latest is no different; the speculative fiction writer has crafted a modern parable about ecological collapse, climate change, technology, and power.

“This scenario raises so many questions that will define the coming century: what does it mean to exist within an environment in which

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Eliot Peper
OneZero

Eliot Peper is the bestselling author of eleven novels, including most recently, Foundry. He also consults on special projects. www.eliotpeper.com