Five radical science fixes to global warming

The following has been adapted, with permission, from Top 10 Wacky Geo-Engineering Ideas to Save Our Planet, by the guys over at TotallyTop10.com.

While politicians and world leaders try to hammer out agreements on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, some are looking to other solutions in the form of geo-engineering. The idea is to use technology to compensate for warming effects, and a wide diversity of strategies have been suggested, although nothing has yet been tried on a large scale.

Some observers have been critical of relying too much on finding a “techno-fix,” when we already know how to reduce emissions by promoting conservation and by enacting other business and political incentives. The promise of a scientific silver bullet has sometimes been used as an excuse by those opposed to doing anything about global warming. It’s also true that humankind can inadvertently cause additional harm when we don’t know all the variables of what we’re messing with (think lethal drug side effects, devastation from early untested pesticides and introduced species that breed out of control).

Still, here are some alternative suggestions proposed by experts to geo-engineer the climate back to safer temperatures:

1. Ocean Fertilization

The founder of the ocean iron fertilization idea, John Martin, once said, “Give me half a tanker of iron, and I’ll give you an ice age.” The idea is based on the ability of ocean plankton to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere. Feed plankton with nutrients and minerals, like iron, and they’ll grow, meaning they can take up more carbon dioxide.

In fact, scientists did report this very effect in the waters off Australia, after the recent dust storm there deposited a raft of nutrients. However, what kind of quantity of nutrients would be needed to have an effect on global warming, and how would you get them? If you have to mine them, that doesn’t seem like a very good trade off.

2. Man-Made Volcanoes

As we know from the geologic record, and more recent events such as the eruption of Pinatubo, massive volcano eruptions can serve to cool down the Earth. The tremendous amounts of particles and gases they emit circle the globe, shielding some of the sun’s rays.

So why not trigger some volcanoes (man-made Earthquakes might do the trick), or come up with some other facsimiles to cool this rock? It may sound like a sci-fi flick, but the venerable British Royal Society — once led by Sir Isaac Newton — is backing research into the idea.

3. Space Frisbees

Roger Angel, an astronomy and optics professor at the University of Arizona, has suggested an innovative way of blocking the sun. According to The Atlantic, Angel says we’d need 20 giant electromagnetic guns, which would shoot Frisbee-size ceramic disks, 800,000 disks every five minutes, nonstop for 10 years. No doubt skeet shooting clubs are enthusiastic about the idea.

4. CO2 Scrubbers

Why not simply scrub our planet free from carbon dioxide? Columbia University physicist Klaus Lackner has led a team of scientists who are building a prototype to do just that. They claim their device will capture one ton of CO2 from the air every day, about the same per passenger as a flight from London to New York.

The bad news is that we’d need literally millions of these devices, and they don’t come cheap (the prototype is expected to cost at least $200,000). Suddenly, turning off unneeded lights and taking the bus doesn’t sound so difficult after all.

5. “Burping Tanks” for Cows

“Emissions” from both ends of cows and other livestock are thought to be responsible for up to a quarter of “man-made” methane releases, which is significant because methane is more than 20 times more potent a global warming gas than carbon dioxide. In fact, the average cow emits between 80kg and 120kg of methane a year, roughly equivalent to the amount of emissions from a typical family car.

Now, scientists in Argentina are strapping plastic tanks to cows, to measure their output and get a better handle on the problem. Perhaps one day farmers will be collecting cow emissions and using them to fuel machinery. More likely, farmers will be “engineering” livestock feed to reduce emissions. Some have suggested that garlic would help. A New Zealand study suggested that dietary changes could reduce methane emissions from sheep up to 50%.

The preceding has been adapted, with permission, from Top 10 Wacky Geo-Engineering Ideas to Save Our Planet, by the guys over at TotallyTop10.com.

Also from TotallyTop10: Top 10 Easy and Smart Ways to Go Green.

Photo credits: D. Harlow/USGS/Wikimedia Commons; Courtesy of TotallyTop10; Klaus Lackner; Courtesy of TotallyTop10

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