redneckgaijin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
redneckgaijin) wrote2006-07-22 04:30 pm
redneckgaijin) wrote2006-07-22 04:30 pm
What Can We Do- ACTIVELY- to Reverse Global Warming? Ideas? Anyone? Bueller?
OK.
(1) The global climate is warming, and warming at an accelerated rate. This is no longer disputable based on scientific facts.
(2) A significant portion of global warming is attributable to human causes, both in pollution and in altered land use (deforestation, meat animal cultivation). This is still disputed, but the majority viewpoint- and, if you ignore the science funded by energy corporations, the VAST majority viewpoint- is that global warming is either caused or aggrevated by human actions.
(3) Global warming cannot be slowed, stopped or reversed by passive solutions such as reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. Why? Because there is no means whatever to get global compliance. The Kyoto Accords would allow China, India, and other "developing economies" to pollute without limit- and both nations are vastly expanding their use of fossil fuels and their emission of greenhouse gases. China in particular will accept no limitations on its economic expansion. Even if the United States cut its greenhouse emissions in half, net carbon dioxide levels in the athmosphere would continue to climb... and, at the same time, the US would suffer major economic troubles, delaying the implementation of more energy-efficient technologies.
Given (1), (2) and (3), the only solution to global warming in the short term is to develop some means of counteracting global warming.
(1) Scrubbing greenhouse gases from the environment (either by growing plant life or by chemical or mechanical extraction of the gases directly from the air).
(2) Some sort of orbital shield- say, at the L1 point- to reduce solar radiation hitting the Earth.
(3) Release of gases into the athmosphere with a negative-greenhouse effect.
(4) Increasing the albedo of the Earth, allowing more energy to escape into space.
Which of these are feasible, if any?
Which of these could be made self-sustaining or even profitable?
Are there other -active- solutions I'm overlooking?
I appreciate your comments.
(1) The global climate is warming, and warming at an accelerated rate. This is no longer disputable based on scientific facts.
(2) A significant portion of global warming is attributable to human causes, both in pollution and in altered land use (deforestation, meat animal cultivation). This is still disputed, but the majority viewpoint- and, if you ignore the science funded by energy corporations, the VAST majority viewpoint- is that global warming is either caused or aggrevated by human actions.
(3) Global warming cannot be slowed, stopped or reversed by passive solutions such as reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. Why? Because there is no means whatever to get global compliance. The Kyoto Accords would allow China, India, and other "developing economies" to pollute without limit- and both nations are vastly expanding their use of fossil fuels and their emission of greenhouse gases. China in particular will accept no limitations on its economic expansion. Even if the United States cut its greenhouse emissions in half, net carbon dioxide levels in the athmosphere would continue to climb... and, at the same time, the US would suffer major economic troubles, delaying the implementation of more energy-efficient technologies.
Given (1), (2) and (3), the only solution to global warming in the short term is to develop some means of counteracting global warming.
(1) Scrubbing greenhouse gases from the environment (either by growing plant life or by chemical or mechanical extraction of the gases directly from the air).
(2) Some sort of orbital shield- say, at the L1 point- to reduce solar radiation hitting the Earth.
(3) Release of gases into the athmosphere with a negative-greenhouse effect.
(4) Increasing the albedo of the Earth, allowing more energy to escape into space.
Which of these are feasible, if any?
Which of these could be made self-sustaining or even profitable?
Are there other -active- solutions I'm overlooking?
I appreciate your comments.