The Search for Extraterrestrial Pollution

PSETI Seminar
Jacob Haqq-Misra

Atmospheric pollution is one consequence of global-scale technology on Earth. Some technology elevates existing levels of atmospheric constituents in the atmosphere, while other industrial processes can contribute novel pollutants that would not otherwise be present. The detection of such pollutants in the atmosphere of an exoplanet would be compelling evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial technology. In this talk, I discuss the possibility of detecting technosignatures that could arise from planets with elevated levels of chlorofluorocarbons and other pollutants with current and planned observatories.