Spraying the Solution

Giant Pipe and Balloon to Pump Water into Sky in Climate Experiment

   In the event of a volcano, the result of the eruption is an atmospheric cooling effect, due to the products of the eruption which block sunlight. British scientists from Bristol, Reading, Cambridge, and Oxford universities have been working on a project which aims to recreate this albedo effect using a very long hose pipe attached to a balloon floating high in the atmosphere by pumping water particles through the pipe into the upper atmosphere. The goal of this experiment is to see how the method will work on a small scale, in order to later implement it on a larger scale to lower global temperatures. Many have decried this attempt, including the chair of the ETC group in Canada who called the experiment "a huge waste of time and money." Though, others have recognized its future practicality as a alternate means to help combat the effects of climate change. Among these are Sir Martin Rees, the former president of Royal Society, who stated that "Nothing should divert us from the main priority of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Bus if such reductions achieve too little, too late, there will surely be pressure to consider a 'plan B."

   While this seems a far-fetched, odd idea for some of the most brilliant minds in the world to be pondering, essentially shooting water really high into the air, the potential for the method to in any way mitigate the damage of anthropogenic climate change makes it an appealing idea. We need all the help we can get. Also, such a presumably harmless and relatively inexpensive solution seems to be a feesable option for our planet as we gear up to face the brunt of the mess we have caused. In examination of "cloud whitening" in comparison to other methods of countering climate change, (see Ocean Nourishment, Space Mirrors, Artificial Trees, Carbon Capture and Storage) it ceases to appear so outlandish. Perhaps these giant hoses will come to serve as an icon for the salvation of our planet as we fight our self-inflicted destruction.

Make it Rain

Firing laser beams into the sky could make it rain, say scientists

   It does not seem immediately plausible that we, as mere humans, could possess the ability to control the weather. For millennia we have attempted to do so, but not until recently has it appeared to exist as a potential reality. The lasers fired by the Swiss scientists acted to condense water vapor into very small droplets by creating "nitric acid particles in the air that behaved like atmospheric glue, binding water molecules together into droplets and preventing them from re-evaporating." This appears to be quite an innovation. We could control when, where, and how hard it rains? Breathtaking. While the science is not complete enough to start a downpour in the drought-ravaged eastern Africa and southern United States, the findings are a start upon which incredible advances in weather control could be achieved, and, with any hope at all, the new methods will be much more eco-friendly than the Chinese strategy of blasting chemicals into the sky to alter weather patterns.

   Additionally, these new advances could have an incredibly practical use as our planet's atmosphere is further adulterated with heretofore unseen amounts of greenhouse gasses. As the impacts of climate change develop, our planet will see increasing drought, amplified weather disasters, and a modicum of other affects to boot. Though, if these discoveries translate into practical weather-altering methods, perhaps our newfound abilities will slightly mediate the harsh droughts and torrential rainfalls that are bound to extend in their respective extremes. While we cannot count on our "do nothing" policies to sustain our planet, hopefully such advances as these will reduce the catastrophic effects that we have brought upon ourselves when we finally realize the severity of our current situation.