can anything really be done about golbal warming?

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!)

Do Nothing - The end of Oil (and most other things we take for granted) http://www.amazon.com/End-Oil-Edge-Perilous-World/dp/0618239774
Planetary Shield - http://www.androidworld.com/prod60.htm
Mechanical CO2 storage - http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/01/carbon_seq/p55.pdf
Organic CO2 storage - http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/825265-gribrx/native/825265.pdf
Reforrestation - http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4487

Humans! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1834532365017960527&q=genre%3Aanimation+humans%21&hl=en

Answer 2

Of course with increased awareness and education we as citizens of our home the Earth can do several things to ensure its survival. We can walk instead of drive, use energy star appliances, when driving drive Eco friendly automobiles instead of gas guzzlers, eliminate waste in your own home by reusing containers and other items that would normally be thrown out. Begin a recycling program at home and then expand to school or work, turn off the lights, heat, ac, when you leave, you will save money and decrease the amount of carbon dioxide hurting our planet each year, bombard your local state and federal representatives and inform them that you will be keeping an eye on what they propose and how they vote on Eco-friendly legislation. Inform them that your vote and the vote of many you know will be heavily weighted on the attitude toward environmental protection. Do not give of hope there are many more things we all can do to save our home.

Answer 3

Sure, just cool down the sun, or stretch Earth's orbit out about 4 inches.

It got really hot there for a while when it melted all the ice during the Ice Age.

Or you can wait, and it will cool down again.

Answer 4

One requirement would have to be to get everyone to stop driving their gasoline powered automobiles. Lotsa luck in pulling that one off.

Answer 5

what !!! you mean you havent yet turned up the AC and opened your windows ???