Geoengineering is rife with potential for unintended consequences. We can’t say that altering the atmosphere or ocean to try to curb or reverse global warming is a good or bad idea. We don’t understand the extraordinarily complex and interconnected climate systems involved well enough.

This doesn’t mean I’m against studying geoengineering. Studying the effects of tinkering with the climate is a great way to begin to map the minefield of potential consequences. Let’s at least get an idea of the trouble we can get into.

One such study, an analysis of the effects of deliberately spewing aerosols into the stratosphere, delivers a bit of irony. Increasing the concentration of aerosols in the stratosphere would reduce the amount of direct sunlight penetrating the atmosphere, and this would cool the planet. But it would also reduce the effectiveness of concentrated and passive solar energy systems.

So one method for dealing with the impact of fossil fuel use would come at the expense of another. Of course, if we’re desperate enough to attempt to remedy how we’ve altered the atmosphere by further altering the atmosphere, the potential hit to some solar energy systems would probably be low on the list of priorities.

The study provides a good example of how just about everything to do with climate involves trade-offs.

While I’m on geoengineering, let’s think about that label for a minute. Can we really say that our level of knowledge about deliberately altering the climate deserves to be called engineering? Do we have the degree of control and precision implied by that word?

Maybe we should find another term, at least until we have a substantially larger body of knowledge on the subject. How about geo-interference? That more accurately describes the process, and it’s less likely to lull people into a false sense of security about our ability to control the climate.

Given that John Holdren, president Obama’s top scientist, broached the subject of geoengineering last week — and he understands the dire circumstances we’re in as well as anyone on the planet — we could be running out of time to deal with the issue.

Eric Smalley is the editor of Energy Research News. He has written about technology since 1987 and has freelanced for many publications including Discover, Scientific American, Wired News and The Boston Globe on topics ranging from quantum cryptography to global warming.