|
 Futuristic Ways to Minimize Global Warming- Fact or fiction?
What if today’s headline reveals that researches done by scientists showed that global warming is not going to stop? What’s worse, the entire climate of the planet would be threatened and there is nothing that we can do about it. If we had 50 years to fix this planet, how are we going to do it? What sort of technology are we going to use?
Let’s face it. Global warming is not a thing that’s coming in the future. Global warming is already here. Realizing the urgency is one thing, actively doing something to slow down the process of global condemnation is far from reach. Are we still going to live life the same as we are today now that we know that the planet is dying?
Not if we keep on trying new things and/or technologies even though some of these solutions sound like it came from some science fiction book. The scientists are futuristic in their approaches today to fight global warming even though some of the proposed methods may sound preposterous. The latest proposed method is called “geoengineering”.
Geoengineering is the deliberate modification of Earth's environment on a large scale "to suit human needs and promote habitability" (1). Others define it more narrowly as focusing only on the mineralogy and hydrology of the Earth (2). The term geoengineering is distinct from accidental anthropogenic climate change. Several proposals have been suggested by scientists all around the way and as simple as they sound, it still is worth looking in to the feasibility of these studies. Yet the geoengineering plans and methods proposed still remain controversial.
Their proposals were relegated to the fringes of climate science. Few journals would publish them. Few government agencies would pay for feasibility studies. Environmentalists and mainstream scientists said the focus should be on reducing greenhouse gases and preventing global warming in the first place.
But now, in a major reversal, some of the world's most prominent scientists say the proposals deserve a serious look because of growing concerns about global warming.
Much proposed geoengineering is a reaction to human-induced global warming. Although many geo-engineering projects have been proposed (see below), large-scale CO2 storage through tree-plantations is the only serious, globally accepted means to decrease greenhouse gases. In addition, it is also the only scheme being undertaken on a large (or planetary) scale. If each Malaysian makes some effort to plant at least one native tree species in their garden, you can only imagine how much cooler the climate would be.
Proposed projects
Some of the geo-engineering projects that have been proposed by some scientists are listed below. The documentaries “Five ways to save the world” (4) and “La temperature grimpe” [3] describe many of the most notable projects. Important projects include:
Of course, we have to realize that geoengineering is no magic bullet. But done correctly, it may act like an insurance policy if the world one day faces a crisis of overheating, with repercussions like melting icecaps, droughts, famines, rising sea levels and coastal flooding.
Many other experts and scientists still deride geoengineering as an irresponsible dream with more risks and potential bad side effects than benefits; they call its extreme remedies a good reason to redouble efforts at reducing heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide. And skeptics of human-induced global warming dismiss geoengineering as a costly effort to battle a mirage.
Even so, many analysts say the prominence of its new advocates is giving the field greater visibility and credibility and adding to the likelihood that global leaders may one day consider taking such emergency steps. It really doesn’t hurt to give it a try. The reality is time is running out.
Today while we bicker about who should run the country and how the country should be run, we are neglecting a disastrous outcome – destruction of the planet today at the expense of our future generations. Do we want our children to be living in a world where masks are necessary to prevent them from inhaling the polluted air? As politicians debate over the directions of physical development in this country, perhaps we should pay closer attention to preservation instead.
Do share your views with EcoKnights and perhaps, collectively, we could constructively explore and debate about simple ways to tackle our country’s environmental problems. We welcome academic and research findings from the communities too.
Think: Can we Save the World by say, 2015?
Sources:
1. "A controversial field known as geoengineering, which means rearranging the Earth's environment on a large scale to suit human needs and promote habitability" How to Cool a Planet (Maybe) New York Times - June 27, 2006}}
2. UC Berkeley Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
3. La temperature grimpe-documentary
4. Five ways to save the world-overview
|
