Termination Shock Summary
Neal Stephenson

Termination Shock Overview

In the speculative fiction novel Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, billionaire Dr. T.R. Schmidt bankrolled a project he believed would reverse global warming, but his plan is put in danger by one county whose officials think it will suffer from the climate change. T.R.’s invention injects sulfur, capable of reflecting the sun’s rays away from the Earth, into the atmosphere. He argues that the results will be felt in just a couple of years as temperatures start to fall and sea levels stop rising. However, if his machines are tampered with and they stop working, the Earth is in danger of termination shock, the rebounding to even worse than previous conditions. Themes include humans’ impact on Earth, the use of media as a tool to manipulate, and the pros and cons of geoengineering.