 For someone who founded the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, has deep admiration for the late cosmologist Carl Sagan, and touts the impressive wonders of space, Neil deGrasse Tyson sure doesn't seem all that interested in turning to planetary discoveries to help save Earth. In fact, he seems outright determined to destroy the very planet he lives on. When addressing a question during a recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher , Tyson was asked his thoughts regarding the possibility of droughts striking that are more disastrous than the ones in California. Tyson's response had nothing to do with space exploration or improving conditions on Earth as one might logically assume based on his background. His response? 'You know what I want to happen? I think it's not about finding another planet. I think it's about being masters of geo-engineering.' You can view his interview, which is in a video in the related story, here . It's interesting that Mr. Let's-Explore-Space apparently doesn't see any need to do so, at least according to the first part of his response. Whatever happened to an article he authored for Natural History magazine that appeared on HaydenPlanetarium.org entitled 'The Search for Planets'? The dangers of geoengineering He also mentions something else that is highly disturbing: becoming 'masters' of geoengineering. A Congressional Research Service report explains geoengineering as an 'array of technologies that aim, through large-scale and deliberate modifications of the Earth's energy balance, to reduce temperatures and counteract anthropogenic climate change.' Yes, this is what Tyson advocates. Such technologies primarily focus on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM) methods that involve ocean fertilization, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere , and increasing the earth's reflectivity. We're talking about carbon dioxide extraction, aerosol injections, and space-based reflectors to get the planet back on track. That same report warns that the technologies have yet to be proven, which means that their risks and costs are largely unknown. 'If geoengineering technologies were to be deployed, they are expected to have the potential to cause significant transboundary effects,' it states. Ironically, Tyson's response to Maher about droughts is something that by it's very nature can actually create more of them! In fact, a study published in Nature's Scientific Reports about the impact of artificially fertilizing the ocean led lead author Chien Wang to say that 'the rainfall response may adversely affect water resources, potentially impacting human livelihoods.' He concludes, 'Even if it were possible to artificially increase DMS emissions, we would not necessarily recommend such a course of action. In addition to potentially impacting the hydrological cycle and human livelihoods, ocean fertilisation may present many other dangers that we have not explored here, such as the impact on marine ecosystems.' Is carbon dioxide really so awful? Then there are thoughts that all this carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might be a good thing that is actually helping people rather than harming them. Of course, this begs the question of tampering with climate change in the first place; could it actually have its benefits? Indeed, people living in the southern strip of the Sahara Desert would say yes. After droughts there in the 70s and 80s killed more than 100,000 people, the area is now experiencing increased rainfall and a 're-greening' that is linked to those bad words, 'climate change.' It's thought that more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has led to this change, creating more plant growth and community-led farming efforts in the region. Neil, are you listening? Geoengineering is not anything we need to be masters of! When someone advocates GMOs, don't take their other suggestions seriously Nevertheless, Tyson outlines his geoengineering thoughts as follows: 'Think about it: We run away from volcanos, we know how to tap a keg let's tap the volcano, take the pressure out so it doesn't explode, use the thermal energy to drive the power needs of a city. We run away from hurricanes, we're not there yet. Imagine if we controlled the energy of the earth oh, my gosh. Then we can control where it rains (and) how much it rains. We're just these scurrying, scared things.' This comes from a man who also applauds GMOs, saying they are the same as selective breeding. 