How are we going to stop global warming? Can we reverse it?

Question

I have actualy seen "an inconvient truth" it amazes me on how many people are oblivious!

Answer 1

In the next 50 years or so , it's not very likely we're going to stop it, or even probably slow it down.

How can we reverse it - there are a couple of untried theories which might work.

1. It's painful but if we stop using fossil fuels - basically if we stopped using all oil/gas and coal, the planet would probably only warm another 3-7 degrees and global warming would start to reverse itself in about 300 to 500 years as the Earth soaked up th excess CO2.

2. Plant large equatorial forests, agressive desert reclaimation , aquifer restoration and then agressive reforestation of the Saharra and other equatorial deserts, Because of the location, and presumably an ample supply of water, trees will grow fast and use up CO2 in the process. This could not only stop but reverse global warming.

3. Mechanical CO2 carbon storage - it's being done today - it's just not very efficient, the Oil and Gas guys figured this out - go figure why it they like the idea of putting CO2 where the oil and gas used to be.

4. Sulphur cloud generation, create factories which create sulphur pollution (like in the 1970's) , this will create acid rain but will cool the planet - this was actually suggested recently as a "fix" .

5. Seed the oceans with diatomes - small organisms made of elaborate calcium-carbonate for skeletons, when they die they sink from the surface where they live and become sediment on the sea-floor. (This may not work but it's been suggested that it could work.)

6. Solar sheilding - large orbiting solar sheilds - big circular disks that would act like a sun-shield on the poles of the planet. They could be either opaque or translucent letting in light but not radiation. Many of these would be needed to create the needed cooling effects.

7. Do nothing - it's all good , in 50-60 years we run out of oil, in 50 or so years after that natural gas. coal won't run out for 300 years but you can't run a car or an airplane on coal so pretty much if you wait long enough, we'll run out of stuff to burn and then the global economy will more or less collapse due to environmental pressures.

Because unchecked use of fossil fuels will lead to some rather "unpleasant" circumstances. Like a few hundred million Asians who will need new places to live since water and food will become scarce where it is now plentiful (India and the Chinese lowlands).

The western 1/2 to 2/3rds of the US will become a serious desert when the summer water supplies/river sources (the Eastern Rocky Mountain watershed) starts to really dry up. Just ask the farmers in Montana about salt seep and water sharing nowadays.

Australia is already pretty much already screwed and becoming a much drier place, (voluntary (maybe someday manditory) water rationing, common multi-year long droughts, wildfires etc).

Pretty much because there will always be people who say it isn't so bad or isn't happening at all, or we don't need to spend money to fix that since it isn't a problem anyway

Personally ... I'm going to bet on #7 - I don't like it but it just seems more like Human nature - (see Humans!)

Answer 2

Global Warming. Any person's nightmare. But, if we can start it, we can reverse it. Here's a few ways to reverse global warming.

I. Using alternative fuels, such as Ethanol, and Vegetable Oil.
II. Not releasing gases in to the air from cars, boats, and anything that has a motor and runs on gas. This polutes the air that we breath
III. Not burning objects that are bad for the enviorment, like plastic.

If we act fast and begin restoration in the next 10 years, global warming can be reversed. There's already a hole in the ozone layer, and hopefully, we won't make it bigger.

Answer 3

The first step is to get rid of the current president !!!!
Next we need a president that actually cares about the environment and won't reject positive steps forward like Kyoto or other even more stringent measures. It will be difficult to entirely stop it, but we can at least buy ourselves more time by making some positive steps forward similar to Kyoto.
If something is not done within 10-20 years, things are going to get pretty bad for future generations. That is the scientific consensus.

Answer 4

First off, don't listen to that 1st guy seeing how a 25 mile long glazier just broke off due to global warming. We nee to stop using gasoling cars and also start using another (like nuclear) source for our power that is cleaner.

Answer 5

The 3 Rs dude. Reuse, Recycle, Reduce.

ride bicycles.

plant more trees.
http://www.sustainableharvest.org/

Answer 6

OMG i like watched that and its so boring! JK I think if you care sooooooo much about glaobal warming the government cares even more..... but if they do want to fix it they can stick a big needle into every humans brain to hyypnatise them to not pollut the earth! = )

Answer 7

Watch "An Inconvenient Truth". Any video store should have it. Great documentary that explains our current situation and what we can do about it. And yes if we don't do something soon (50 years) we're screwed.

Answer 8

There isn't any such thing as global warming. If anything now we are having a beginning ice age. Glaciers are currently expanding.