Posted on 10/24/2007 8:44:33 PM PDT by neverdem
DESPITE growing interest in clean energy technology, it looks as if we are not going to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide anytime soon. The amount in the atmosphere today exceeds the most pessimistic forecasts made just a few years ago, and it is increasing faster than anybody had foreseen.
Even if we could stop adding to greenhouse gases tomorrow, the earth would continue warming for decades and remain hot for centuries. We would still face the threat of water from melting glaciers lapping at our doorsteps.
What can be done? One idea is to counteract warming by tossing small particles into the stratosphere (above where jets fly). This strategy may sound far-fetched, but it has the potential to cool the earth within months.
Mount Pinatubo, a volcano in the Philippines that erupted in 1991, showed how it works. The eruption resulted in sulfate particles in the stratosphere that reflected the suns rays back to space, and as a consequence the earth briefly cooled.
If we could pour a five-gallon buckets worth of sulfate particles per second into the stratosphere, it might be enough to keep the earth from warming for 50 years. Tossing twice as much up there could protect us into the next century.
A 1992 report from the National Academy of Sciences suggests that naval artillery, rockets and aircraft exhaust could all be used to send the particles up. The least expensive option might be to use a fire hose suspended from a series of balloons. Scientists have yet to analyze the engineering involved, but the hurdles appear surmountable.
Seeding the stratosphere might not work perfectly. But it would be cheap and easy enough and is worth investigating.
This is not to say that we should give up trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ninety-nine percent of...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Please examine point #4 in my profile.
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#4. Actually, global temperatures have been cooling down since 1998. (False)
Please see my post #32, I did not state that the Earth has been cooling.
The trend indicates that it is still warming, unless you use 1998 as a start date, which is not a useful thing to do, for reasons explained in point #4. Global temperature in 1998 was 0.2 C above the trendline going back to the mid-1970s.
Which is exactly what my statement said:
...the Earth hasn't warmed since 1998.
And why does your "trend" showing warming only go back to the mid 1970s?
Because it was cool in the mid 70s.
You members of the global warming religion are too slick by half.
End.
BUMP
Automobiles produce most of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions ( a tiny fraction of the earth’s overall CO2). The catalytic converter is responsible for almost all automobile CO2 emissions. Catalytic converters are designed for the specific purpose of making CO2.
The GW hoaxters have yet to call for an end to catalytic converters but they propose Doctor Evil type diabolical plans for pumping soot into the upper atmosphere.
I think all the smoke from the forest fires out west will help things along.
How can they accomplish all that by just cooling the Earth off with atmospheric particles?
Exactly. And I assume you know why?
I consider “several thousand years” to be brief when talking about climate change and ice ages. =)
Then this century is going to happen real, real fast. ;-)
Or it could cause global winter and freeze us all. But it's worth a try.
/sarcasm
Found it!
[snip] If we could pour a five-gallon bucket’s worth of sulfate particles per second into the stratosphere, it might be enough to keep the earth from warming for 50 years. Tossing twice as much up there could protect us into the next century. [end]
Nice catch! I was using Kenneth. The Times’ byline was Ken Caldiera. In the future, if I remember, I’ll just use surnames.
All this fear, crazy geoengineering schemes and money based on computer models, it’s absurd.
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