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Pitch

Will we wait to reach the tipping point? How many more will have to die? An invisible, unbound screen in space to stop the seas from rising.


Description

Summary

As Climate Change is impacting the world, an adaptation plan to shade or mitigate its effects is mandatory. In order to stop the ice caps from melting, hold the seas from rising and mitigate most all things encompassed from climate change, we need to plan for an unsure future. I am proposing we start testing the plausibility of Control Alt Delete Climate Change's idea to create an invisible, unbound screen in space. 


Category of the action

Geoengineering


What actions do you propose?

Control Alt Delete Climate Change (CAD) is a method for modifying environmental conditions. I am proposing we deploy ultra-fine nickel particles in the outer atmosphere creating a ring around the equator. This would be an invisible, unbound screen in space that could block, deflect, and absorb 1.7% of the suns total emissions. By reducing or minimizing the incoming solar radiation we would see lower global temperatures. Upon achieving this, we would not see our ice caps melt or our seas rise. 

The screen would consist of nickel particles in 3 - 5 micron size, which is virtually invisible.

The novelty of using nickel is that it gives the option of controllability by magnetic manipulation. Meaning if at some point in the future such an idea is no longer needed. Satellites with electro magnets can collect all of the nickel particles. Transfer them back into atmosphere causing them to burn up upon re-entry. The idea also could be manipulated to have a more localized impact. Via the use of these electromagnetic satellites a governing body could also anticipate a countries pending weather conditions and create a more localized shading effect. After the heat wave passes the nickel particles could be recollected and repositioned to better suit the worlds problematic areas or return to a more centralized position.

Scientists have done some initial research and even published an accepted manuscript found in Advances is Space Research called “Heliotropic dust rings for Earth climate engineering” to prove the idea of shading the earth with a dust ring is plausible. The paper examines the concept of a sun-pointing elliptical Earth ring comprised of dust grains to offset global warming. The paper is proposing that we mine the moon to create a dust cloud, or lasso a near Earth asteroid and crush it up to create a dust cloud.

The advantages to choosing nickel to create this invisible, unbound screen:

-       We can guarantee particle size because we produce the material here on Earth.

-       Nickel is in abundance and readily available for a minimal cost.

-       We can strategically disperse this material to maximize its shading qualities.

-       Nickel doesn’t oxidize and has no magnetic memory.

-       Nickel isn’t harmful to humans or animals.

-       Nickel being magnetic gives us the ability to control and alter its position if need be. 


Who will take these actions?

Climate is changing, and so should WE. By “WE” I mean every human on earth. It involves us all. It was once said that a bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not in the branch, but in its own wings. To my knowledge the world has yet to discover a pair of wings in which to trust. By seeing what is happening, and talking about climate change, too many people get caught up in a debate of whether climate change is man-made or natural. They feel that by debating this, they are doing their part. But what good is debating if we aren’t going to do anything about it?

We need to think about a plan “B” for an unsure future.

A “what if” kind of solution…

Control Alt Delete Climate Change does exactly that.

Basically by implementing my idea we would be buying time. This will give us the time we need to clean up our act and implement permanent change to help reverse the recent changes to Earth’s climate. During this controlled time, mankind must reduce, reuse, and recycle. We would need to reduce our emissions and our carbon footprint. We must set up solar, wind, wave, geothermal, and earth friendly energy stations. We must continue to make advances in using less fossil fuel. We need to choose future leaders who will be agents of positive change. We need to empower these leaders with knowledge and skills to overcome these unprecedented challenges that require a collective, collaborative approach to decision making. We need to challenge leaders of all countries and make them integrate the issues pertaining to climate change into their day to day planning. We need to delegate leadership roles at local and provincial / state levels, national levels, and on an international stage.  


Where will these actions be taken?

What we need to move forward

·Inform the general public that we have a viable option, to potentially control, alt, and delete climate change.

·Obtain funding to complete tests at the NASA research center or other similar facility.

Ultimate goal:

·To live in a world free of the problems created from climate change

·To live in an environmentally friendly world


What are other key benefits?

Consequences of doing nothing would be catastrophic.  The result of climate change related disasters would cost the world billions/ trillions of dollars-worth of economic consequences trying to fix the damage, control the spread of disease, and struggle with diminishing natural resources.

CAD Climate Change would stop the polar ice caps from melting and stabilize the seas from rising. We would possibly reduce the frequency of droughts, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. We would also possibly minimize the spread of disease, diminishing food and water supplies, and animal extinction.

 


What are the proposal’s costs?

Testing costs would be minimal. If implemented the cost of the material would be 100 – 300 million US$, the cost of deploying would be 10 - 20 billion US$ and the cost of the electromagnetic satellites has not yet been sourced.

Sounds like a huge number. But when you look at plans to accommodate for rising sea levels.

Is it really?

To save the San Francisco delta from rising seas. They are planning on building a dam, created by dredging, similar to that in Dubai, to block the San Francisco delta. This would save the delta for an estimated 2 billion $.

To save the Mediterranean they are suggesting the same for the strait of Gibraltar, a 13km dam which would save all the countries inlet from rising sea levels but would also block all marine life from going in and out. Total cost of this dam would be 250 billion. As for that marine life… total change, who knows what will happen with the ecosystem.

As for any islands or coast lines, nothing can be done. Unless something like CAD climate change is considered. This idea will save not only San Francisco and the Mediterranean but the entire world’s islands and coast lines. And the whole time not displacing any animals or their habitat. In fact it would give back a lot of habitat to animals who are already on the move looking for more desirable places to live.

These numbers are very shocking but in comparison make my idea sound like “something that is worth a try.”  The numbers are from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s top-ranking 6 cities at risk from sea level rise.

1 Miami 4.8 million people at 3.5 Trillion Dollars

2 Guangzhou 2.7 million people at 3.4 Trillion Dollars

3 New York - Newark 2.9 million people at 2.1 Trillion Dollars

4 Kolkata 14 million people at 2.0 Trillion Dollars

5 Shanghai 5.5 million people at 1.8 Trillion Dollars

6 Mumbai 11.4 million people at 1.6 Trillion Dollars

If the above mentioned cities got together, you’d think it would be a no brainer. 


Time line

What I am worried about is time… I feel we don’t have a lot of it. As we look at how long it takes a typical project of this magnitude to go from idea through completion; I look to cities like Venice and their building of the MOSE (The largest single environmental project in Europe). The idea was proposed in the 1970s and was studied in 1981, the conceptual design in 1989 the environmental impact study in 1997 final design work in 2002. The actual construction started in 2003 and the project which will end up costing 5 billion Euros is stated to be completed in 2016. That is 30 years of design work and another 16 years to construct, give er take a few years…

 Do we have this amount of time to think about a possible ‘plan B” for the world?

I am proposing now in 2014

Study complete 20??

Conceptual design  20??

Environmental design 20??

Final design 20??

Work started 20 ??

Completed in 20 ??

Question is how many set back or objections will I get to be allowed to test? 

I think it is our obligation to plan for an unsure future. 


Related proposals

Related proposals include putting millions of little mirrors in space. (This would never be allowed due to the potential hazards it would create to space shuttles and satellites.)

Creating a ring of dust made from mining the moon or asteroids. (Problems being we can’t control particle size creating the same hazards as the mirrors, and not being able to reverse the process.)

Use a low cost method to build a planetary solar shield (cost of creating a shield would be high and the cost vs size ratio isn’t great. Also creating a source of potential hazard to space shuttles and satellites.)


References

 

http://Bewick_R_et_al_Heliotropic_dust_rings_for_Earth_climate_engineering_Apr_2013.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_variation

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/97EO00180/pdf

http://www.centre-cired.fr/IMG/pdf/OECD_Cities_Coastal_Flooding.pdf

http://www.energy.ca.gov/2012publications/CEC-500-2012-036/CEC-500-2012-036.pdf