Solutions for Global Warming

[Mordae]

Figured this was worth shifting over

DISCLAIMER - this thread isn't intended as a debate as to the existence of Global Warming. For the purposes of this thread, lets just take it as a given, and start up another thread to debate it

The IPCC report on Climate Change is now out; please bear in mind while viewing that everything in the report required 100% agreement from all parties concerned before it was included. This, if anything, tends to make it an incredibly conservative assessment, much like the World Bank, IEA, and latest US reports.
(view at https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/ )

The summary, in the bluntest terms, is that we are staring down the barrel of a second Permian Extinction. For those that don’t know how it went, the short version is that a volcano erupted under the Siberian Traps, releasing enough methane to raise average global temperatures by 5 degrees C. This released the methane at the bottom of the oceans and the global temperature jumped to 10 degrees C above average. An estimated 95% of life on Earth died out (this is explained quite well at www.lasthours.org).

Ideally, in order to stay alive, we need to get some plans in place now. Near as I can figure, there are 3 primary issues that can only be implemented if 3 steps are taken…and these steps have to be made by the US, as they are, for better or worse, the benchmark of the current global order.
Those steps are:

1/ Carbon has to stay in the ground.
2/Money does not equate to speech (edit - although the latest Supreme Court ruling is fully behind this concept)
3/Corporations are not people (although, dependant on the Hobby Lobby hearing decision, it may open up the way to sue corporations for eco-cide)

The issues (and I’ll attempt to throw in a couple of solutions in for good measure as well) are

1/ Reduce average global temperatures.

Probably the most low-tech and most affordable method to do this would be to start reflecting sunlight back into space. Theoretically, an armada of reflective pontoons moored in the Arctic, would allow the sea ice to reform, while painting the rooftops of our cities and suburbs a reflective white should do the job nicely.

2/ Reduce atmospheric carbon levels

The most logical solution would seem to be increasing the carbon holding potential of our farmlands (which, lets face it, are pretty depleted). This would require a massive alteration in the way we farm, probably needed to change from massive factory farms back to smaller homesteads, which are generally much more productive. The current agricultural solution is to drop tons of lime on the fields, which, as it reacts with slightly acidic soil, releases CO2, while most of the calcium becomes “locked up” and unavailable to the crops anyway.
http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets...can-soil-store

Even then, the more dangerous element is methane, which is roughly 23 times more powerful than CO2. Some of the research coming from these guys may be useful, adapting them to an airborne environment may have an effect. As the microbes release O3, they may even start patching the hole in the Ozone layer.
http://www.esf.org/media-centre/ext-...aters-343.html

...The Austrian group has developed a genetic method called a microarray that can pick up the genetic signatures of all known methane oxidisers in soil. To start with, the project is using this method to test different soils, including those from forests, coasts and the Arctic, to seek out methane oxidisers. “The first outcome is that new types are already turning up,” says Paul Bodelier, a member of the team from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. By testing for RNA, the messenger chemical that helps translate genetic information into proteins, the team plans to show which methane oxidisers are actually consuming methane in different soils. “We are going to find out who is out there, who is really active and what the consequences are for the global methane cycle,” says Frenzel.

One part of the project team in Marburg has already made a breakthrough. At the first EuroDIVERSITY conference in Paris in early October, they presented results showing how a newly discovered gene for one enzyme that breaks down methane operates at low levels of methane, like those in the air. The enzymes already known to do this job only work at higher levels of methane, such as you find in flooded soils. The discovery explains how the bacteria in upland soils manage to oxidise methane straight from the atmosphere...

The second solution is to look to utilizing natural carbon sinks, plants such as hemp and bamboo absorb CO2 much faster than trees, while at the same time partially solving the issue of deforestation and providing building materials. 1 acre of hemp will provide the same amount of paper as 4 acres of trees, and the curds can be mixed with lime to create hempcrete. This takes a very long time to fully cure (50 years is one estimate) and continues to absorb CO2 during the curing process. Bamboo (at a slightly thicker diameter than rebar) is stronger than structural steel in concrete and has the advantage on not corroding.

3/ Create buffers to modify weather extremes

Again the most obvious method is to re-establish and maintain the forests. If we remove the trees from the ridge tops, average rainfalls in that area drops by roughly 30%, and also contribute to silt runoff into the rivers, increasing the flooding risk.

Mangroves planted along coastlines reduce coastal erosion, and are one of the few natural methods of reclaiming land from the sea.

Plant up the deserts. Most deserts are really good places to grow plants, as a lot of them contain silica sand and small deposits of titanium dioxide. These catalyze in the presence of sunlight to create ammonia. Add water, and you have prolific plant life. The trick is water management, maybe using gabion baskets to redirect and slow the passage of water over the land. Fog catchers, stone mulching and lots of small fences to trap plant mulch are required as well. Island crops like coconut would probably do quite well in deserts.

All other suggestions happily accepted

[Rockhopper]

Methane under Siberian Ice!

Good fun!

Tim.

[Mordae]

Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change

There is a powerful means of addressing the challenges of carbon capture and climate change — promoting photosynthesis! This means good old fashion farming and gardening — covering the earth with a vast range of trees, flora and crops.

Amongst other benefits, a rich diversity of plant species and agricultural practice that is poly-cultural and perennial in orientation, enriches the soil, promotes healthy microbiology, sequesters carbon, fosters more effective hydration of the soils, greater climate change resilience and more abundant, nutrient-rich food production and security.

Permaculture is a holistic design system that arranges human habitat and agriculture in a way that regenerates and revitalises the environment. It incorporates practices and processes that mimic the natural world. Permaculture utilises the synergy of relationships that abound in the diversity of species and environmental elements. As a consequence, greater abundance in production is realised as its practice brings together a variety of appropriate eco-technologies, both ancient and modern.

The Rodale Institute has recently published a White Paper titled "Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming" (650kb PDF). It is important reading and very encouraging!

Summary:

Regenerative organic agriculture for soil-carbon sequestration is tried and true: Humans have long farmed in that fashion, and there is nothing experimental about it. What is new is the scientific verification of regenerative agricultural practices. Excess carbon in the atmosphere is surely toxic to life, but we are, after all, carbon-based life forms, and returning stable carbon to the soil is a tonic that can support ecological abundance.

Taken together, the wealth of scientific support for regenerative agriculture has demonstrated that these practices can comfortably feed the growing human population while repairing our damaged ecosystem:

"If management of all current cropland shifted to reflect the regenerative model as practiced at the research sites included in the white paper, we could potentially sequester more than 40% of annual emissions.

"If all global pasture was managed using a regenerative model, an additional 71% could be sequestered.

"Even if modest assumptions about soil’s carbon sequestration potential are made, regenerative agriculture can easily keep annual emissions to within a desirable range."

Today there are farmers and agricultural scientists in every corner of the world committed to and excited about the results of regenerative organic agriculture‘s potential in mitigating both climate issues and food insecurity, and the specific research needs have been well documented. Now is the time to harness cutting-edge technological understanding, human ingenuity and the rich history of farmers working in tandem with the wisdom of natural ecosystems.

Now is the time to arrive at a stable climate by way of healing our land and ourselves — through regenerative organic agriculture. — Rodale Institute

You can also check out the video interview below with Tom Newmark (Founder of The Carbon Underground). It is a very insightful interview revealing what needs to be done to regenerate the earth in a way that secures the future of all living species on the planet, including the human race. Take a note of the additional sources of information that Tom quotes during the interview.

I hope you will be as encouraged as I was.

[Agartha]

First, I wish we could stop using so much coal energy, and governments have enough money to give all houses a grant to get solar panels.

Second, to eliminate CO2.........I like all the ideas you mentioned, I love the greening of the deserts.

I remember reading about Enhanced weathering and it seems pretty interesting and it's one of the most inexpensive projects: enhanced weathering is the natural process in which rocks are broken down and dissolved on the land surface. When silicate or carbonate minerals dissolve in rainwater, carbon dioxide is drawn into the solution from the atmosphere through natural occurring chemical reactions.

Rainwater and bicarbonate ions eventually end up in the ocean, where they are formed into carbonate minerals by calcifying organisms, which then sinks out of the surface ocean. Most of the carbonate is redissolved in the deep ocean.

A simple, inexpensive and safe way.......and I wonder why it hasn't been used extensively yet!!!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24597739

[X]

The same thing happened another planet's atmosphere in ancient texts. They came up with a solution to the problem.

[Monk (in hiding)]

Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat.

[Rogue]

Eliminate the Australian Government.

[Agartha]

The same thing happened another planet's atmosphere in ancient texts. They came up with a solution to the problem.

What was the solution?....... 

[Monk (in hiding)]

The same thing happened another planet's atmosphere in ancient texts. They came up with a solution to the problem.

What was the solution?....... 

MOVE...... to another planet!

"Can you imagine, while everyone was sitting around the campfire at night, some little boy (about 7 years of age) suddenly asked everyone"s attention. Turned out, he wanted to tell them all about life on Mars, about its inhabitants and their flights to earth," shares one of the witnesses. Silence followed. It was incredible! The little boy with gigantic lively eyes was about to tell a magnificent story about the Martian civilisation, about megalithic cities, their spaceships and flights to various planets, about a wonderful country Lemuria, life of which he knew in details since he happened to descend there from Mars, had friends there. Logs were cracking, night's fog enveloped the area and the immense dark sky with myriads of brightly lit stars seemed to conceal some sort of a mystery. His story lasted for about an hour and a half. One guy was smart enough to tape the entire narration. Many were stunned by the two distinctive factors. First of all, the boy possessed exceptionally profound knowledge. His intellect was obviously far from that of a typical 7-year- old. Not every professor is capable of narrating the entire history of Lemuria and Lemurians and its inhabitants in such details. You will be unable to find any mentioning of this country in school textbooks. Modern science has not yet proved existence of other civilisations. Second of all, we were all amazed by the actual speech of this young boy. It was far from the kind kids his age usually use. His knowledge of specific terminology, details and facts from Mars' and Earth"s past fascinated everyone.

http://www.phils.com.au/boris.htm

[Lenzabi]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

[Agartha]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

Amen, brother!

This is the mentality of people.......old civilizations on Earth always moved around when they  needed more resources.....and this is the mentality that need changing.

[Mordae]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

Amen, brother!

This is the mentality of people.......old civilizations on Earth always moved around when they  needed more resources.....and this is the mentality that need changing.

It's probably more that the old civilizations disappeared or went far enough into decline that they were absorbed by the next civilization on the block.

With globalization, I'm not sure if that option is still on the table.

[Monk (in hiding)]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

Why did you leave spirit out, modern day humans have shut it ears to the spirit and think technologies is everything.

[Monk (in hiding)]

[quote="Mordae"]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

Amen, brother!

This is the mentality of people.......old civilizations on Earth always moved around when they  needed more resources.....and this is the mentality that need changing.[/quote]

It's probably more that the old civilizations disappeared or went far enough into decline that they were absorbed by the next civilization on the block.

With globalization, I'm not sure if that option is still on the table.

Huh?

Why did they go into decline?

[Lenzabi]

VM, spirit is in all I speak of, so much so I myself do not see the need to specify it as spirit is part of what shapes our natures. So if our Nature shaped by spirit is disinclined to fix itself and it's behaviors, going elsewhere merely brings those same problems along to desecrate another world in time.

Now yes we do see other cultures absorbing those of older ones that declined. It is that the Sumerians were absorbed into the Babylonians. The Romans adopted Greek pantheons and renamed them, all cultures do that if the remains are still fresh enough of past cultures.

Other civilizations seem to have totally vanished for one reason or another.

[Monk (in hiding)]

Other civilizations seem to have totally vanished for one reason or another.

Yeah, pre-history, these megalithic structures with no writings left behind. Hmm???

[Lenzabi]

Other civilizations seem to have totally vanished for one reason or another.

Yeah, pre-history, these megalithic structures with no writings left behind. Hmm???

More than that, legends are all that is left passed down, no buildings, no artifacts, just mentions, some were able to make a move dimensionally speaking and are in the same spots, just not in this realm of existence

[Mordae]

Move to another planet is just a band-aid fix to problems. the problem is changing the nature of this species to life more in balance using technologies that allow this to happen.

Move to another planet and in a few centuries, same problems will crop up and confront your descendants.

Amen, brother!

This is the mentality of people.......old civilizations on Earth always moved around when they  needed more resources.....and this is the mentality that need changing.[/quote]

It's probably more that the old civilizations disappeared or went far enough into decline that they were absorbed by the next civilization on the block.

With globalization, I'm not sure if that option is still on the table.

Huh?

Why did they go into decline?

The most obvious reason is lack of food and other resources. If you go back before globalization and take a rice-based culture, for instance. Reduce the rainfall to half, add a couple of degrees of heat and a bit of atmospheric dust and you just lost half your harvest. Not to many ancient cultures could handle that kind of knock for more than a couple of years without drastically changing, usually not for the better.

[Rockhopper]

Yep, that's what happened to the Old Egyptian Culture. The weather pattern shifted and the Nile didn't flood as often. The floods fertilised the soil along the valley. No flood - no crops!

Tim.

[Monk (in hiding)]

Yep, that's what happened to the Old Egyptian Culture. The weather pattern shifted and the Nile didn't flood as often. The floods fertilised the soil along the valley. No flood - no crops!

Tim.

Yet the climate changed long before the Egyptologists claim their civilization even existed?

The thing is, the Sphinx sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert and the region has been quite arid for the last 5000 years. Furthermore, various structures securely dated to the Old Kingdom show only erosion that was caused by wind and sand (very distinct from the water erosion). To make a long story short, I came to the conclusion that the oldest portions of the Great Sphinx, what I refer to as the core-body, must date back to an earlier period (at least 5000 B.C., and maybe as early as 7000 or 9000 B.C.), a time when the climate was very different and included more rain.

Robert M. Schoch Ph.D. in geology and geophysics Yale 1983

http://www.robertschoch.com/sphinxcontent.html

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