Scientists Say Pollution May Be Helpful

Two young men exercise on a foggy morning in Calcutta, India, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006. Environmental groups warned that India was headed for an air pollution disaster this winter and urged the government to initiate stringent pollution checks and stiff penalties to cut harmful emissions by diesel-run cars.(AP Photo/Sucheta Das)

(AP) -- If the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, the time may come to draw the shade. The "shade" would be a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere to help cool the planet. This over-the-top idea comes from prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate. The reaction here at the U.N. conference on climate change is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation to such "massive and drastic" operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them.