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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

We Can Totally Solve Global Warming With Space Mirrors

From TIME.com-Can geoengineering help slow global warming?

Global warming is happening.

And scientists are trying to think of ways to combat it before we all suffocate to death. One way is geoengineering which is basically we are going to cool the earth... somehow. Most of the ideas revolve around controlling the solar radiation coming at us.

Method 1: Shooting sulfur particles into the atmosphere with "artillery" (giant cannons??) or airplanes that will thicken the air, therefore blocking some of the sun
Downside: Must be done continuously. Particles eventually will either disseminate or fall out of the sky. Acid rain-We won't be hot, but we also won't have skin. Change in precipitation patterns.

Method 2:Shoot seawater mists at low clouds to reflect the sun. "Relatively" cheap--about $9billion to combat a "century's worth of global warming"
Downside: Salty clouds? Raining fish?

Method 3: Giant space mirrors. No, seriously.
Downside: Unaligned rogue mirror may laser us in half. But at least it would be less hot right?

As you can see, scientists are....getting there. They have yet to have a definitive answer, but at least we are getting creative.


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