Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

GCNRevenger · 2005-01-23 13:48:55

Lets say for a minute that the doomsayers are right, and that human-induced global warming will bascially wipe out the world as we know it in the space of a few decades due to a few percent increase in solar thermal retention in our atmosphere.

Even with a clean-energy hydrogen economy starting up for half the worlds' population, limited CO2 and atmospheric soot sequestration perhaps, and widely increased use of end-user solar/wind power sources and advanced conservation... having an ace up the sleve might not hurt...

...Which would be to launch solar shades into a Sun-Synchronus orbit to block part of the Sun's light while excess greenhouse gasses are delt with.

A hundred 127km diameter solar sails, each launched directly by heavy HLLV with a heavy (perhaps nuclear?) upper stage, produced from an advanced polymer and either made reflective with alumium or black with an inorganic compound or however, would be capable of blocking ~1% of the Sun's light and cause a cooling effect.

Grypd · 2005-01-23 14:38:12

Or we could just drill a bore hole down 5km in the caldera of the yellowstone supervolcano. It would wipe out a large part of the USA through pyroclastic flows or drenching in ash deposits. It would though by the amount of sulfur it produces cause a winter that would last about 5 years and probably wipe out human civilisation leaving scattered pockets of survivors.

Bit drastic though im sure everyone would agree. Unless your last name is Bin Laden.

Martian Republic · 2005-01-23 15:06:08

Going with Electra-magnetic super trains and a subway system would remove a lot of those hydra-carbons that we need for either gas or diesel powered vehicle. But, it would take about ten years to build it.

We would have to go ultimate generated Electricity too and get away from both coal and gas turbines. The would leave thermal, solar, fission powered and maybe crash development of fusion in ten to twenty year and another ten years to build a sufficient number of fusion plants.

If those theories are correct, it doesn't look promising for the human race, because it would probably take us twenty to thirty years even in crash development mode to either invent and/or build the infrastructures that we need to replace those fossil fuels.

I'm not saying that we can't get out of this problem. But we are going to have to do more that what we are doing now, if we are to have a chance to solve this problem.

Larry,

chat · 2005-01-23 15:11:35

Nuke the crap out of the moon.
The released dust from the explosions will encircle earth and the moon for eons, and we can continue burning everything on the earth for at least that much longer.

Deal with the nuclear fallout later

Commodore · 2005-01-23 19:49:02

I don't know why everyone assumes that we can't survive a climate change.

Massive hydroponic farms can produce all the food we need year round regardless of whats going on outside. Were not going to run out of water, even if it means we have to put up desaltation plants. We can even build massive dikes to protect population centers.

The climate changes on its own anyway. Wouldn't we look silly when a couple hundred years after we abandon fossil fuels the temperture stablizes, and then starts rising again?

C M Edwards · 2005-01-23 19:54:26

Convert terrestrial cities to Marsian technologies. Every new skyscraper in the world already has heat exchangers and other environmental control systems. What's a little more life support capacity? You can already walk from one end of downtown Kansas City to the other without ever seeing the sky. What's a few more miles of tunnels? We only have the resources to effectively convert a few percent of the Earth's surface into marsian analogs, so why not concentrate on the few percent where a quarter of us already live - cities?

If we can build a city on Mars and live in it comfortably, Earth should be a snap even with catastrophic global warming.

Grypd · 2005-01-23 20:15:15

I don't know why everyone assumes that we can't survive a climate change.
Massive hydroponic farms can produce all the food we need year round regardless of whats going on outside. Were not going to run out of water, even if it means we have to put up desaltation plants. We can even build massive dikes to protect population centers.
The climate changes on its own anyway. Wouldn't we look silly when a couple hundred years after we abandon fossil fuels the temperture stablizes, and then starts rising again?

Massive hydroponic farms need a lot of building so by the time we have them built most people will have starved. Then it beggars the question how would you power these Farms if we have a winter that lasts a few years how would you heat them or worse we have the wild weather that destroys everything except the super toughened flood proof buildings, which also have to be well away from the new ocean shoreline

All of these things require fuel and energy to operate. If there is no fuel or energy then you starve. And even if you manage to get a powerplant working how do you get the fuel for it?

No its a lot more easier to actually just make sure we dont have the problem in the first place. Because whatever happens if we such a disaster then our society will change and possibly be destroyed. Nation states would certainly be destroyed and it will become small communities looking after themselves

Commodore · 2005-01-23 23:47:59

I don't know why everyone assumes that we can't survive a climate change.
Massive hydroponic farms can produce all the food we need year round regardless of whats going on outside. Were not going to run out of water, even if it means we have to put up desaltation plants. We can even build massive dikes to protect population centers.
The climate changes on its own anyway. Wouldn't we look silly when a couple hundred years after we abandon fossil fuels the temperture stablizes, and then starts rising again?
Massive hydroponic farms need a lot of building so by the time we have them built most people will have starved. Then it beggars the question how would you power these Farms if we have a winter that lasts a few years how would you heat them or worse we have the wild weather that destroys everything except the super toughened flood proof buildings, which also have to be well away from the new ocean shoreline
All of these things require fuel and energy to operate. If there is no fuel or energy then you starve. And even if you manage to get a powerplant working how do you get the fuel for it?
No its a lot more easier to actually just make sure we dont have the problem in the first place. Because whatever happens if we such a disaster then our society will change and possibly be destroyed. Nation states would certainly be destroyed and it will become small communities looking after themselves

Oh I agree it is simpler to end use of fossil fuels. We will be seriously screwed if when the day finally comes that the tap goes dry and were still thristy.

But, there is still a strong chance someday we will have deal with climate change anyway. Even with future technology, I can't see it being any less dramatic than it is now, especially since the population is only going to grow.

We might be better off addressing some of those issues now.

Cobra Commander · 2005-01-24 07:19:23

...Which would be to launch solar shades into a Sun-Synchronus orbit to block part of the Sun's light while excess greenhouse gasses are delt with.

I like it!

Assuming the enviro-kooks are even remotely right, this offers far more hope than the wacky half-measure "punish America" policies they advocate. If you really want to stop global warming, we need serious solutions.

Not that I buy into it, but if it's cover enough to build a giant orbital sunshade I'll take it. Assuming it's positioned in such a manner and outfitted with small thrusters allowing adjustment to its position.

That way we can bend other nations to our will by plunging them into frozen darkness for non-compliance.

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#1 2005-01-23 13:48:55

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#2 2005-01-23 14:38:12

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#3 2005-01-23 15:06:08

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#4 2005-01-23 15:11:35

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#5 2005-01-23 19:49:02

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#6 2005-01-23 19:54:26

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#7 2005-01-23 20:15:15

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#8 2005-01-23 23:47:59

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

#9 2005-01-24 07:19:23

Re: Emergency Solution to Global Warming - If the doomsayers are right afterall...

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