Radical Climate Attacks 5 Scientifically Backed Processes With Potential To Immediately Effect Climate Change

Radical Climate Attacks Ocean Iron Fertilization Man-Made Volcanoes Space Frisbees CO2 Scrubbers "Burping Tanks" for Cows

Radical Climate Attacks 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.

Radical Climate Attacks Ocean Fertilization Why might “Ocean Fertilization” be a good idea? Why might it be a mistake?

Radical Climate Attacks Man Made Volcanos 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 movie, but the British Royal Society -- once led by Sir Isaac Newton -- is backing research into the idea.

Radical Climate Attacks Man Made Volcanos Why might a “Man Made Volcano” be a good idea? Why might it be a mistake?

Radical Climate Attacks 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.

Radical Climate Attacks Space Frisbees Why might a “Space Frisbee” be a good idea? Why might it be a mistake?

Radical Climate Attacks 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.

Radical Climate Attacks CO2 Scrubbers Why might a “CO2 Scrubber” be a good idea? Why might it be a mistake?

Radical Climate Attacks "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%.

Radical Climate Attacks "Burping Tanks" for Cows Why might a "Burping Tanks" for cows be a good idea? Why might it be a mistake?

Radical Climate Attacks Ocean Iron Fertilization Man-Made Volcanoes Space Frisbees CO2 Scrubbers "Burping Tanks" for Cows Pick your favorite and write a short explanation why you feel it is a good or bad idea.