The possibility that global warming will trigger abrupt climate change is something people might not want to think about.
But the debate warms up again as Angel, a University of Arizona Regents’ Professor who has been looking at ways to cool the Earth in an emergency, study the practicality of deploying a space sunshade in a global warming crisis, a crisis where it becomes clear that Earth is unmistakably headed for disastrous climate change within a decade or two.
Reducing the amount of heat/energy that earth receives from the sun is the whole idea but a massive space sunshade made of - hold your breath - 20,000 billions of very small spacecraft weighing about a gram and orbiting a million miles above our heads,called the L-1 orbit don’t seem practical enough. If to someone this seems practical than think of launching a stack of flyers every 5 minutes for 10 years which could be deployed by a total 20 electromagnetic launchers.
So will we be protected one day from global warming by this massive space sunshade? Total sarcasm in case you haven’t guessed.
But before we go this far, why didn’t someone thought of something practical on Earth only, like improving the technology on earth which’ll produce less pollution which is the root cause of the global warming or was it Roger Angel only wants to display his extraordinary conceptual ideas for which he has even won top honors. How about if see Earth with solar panels on every roof of the house and wind mills outside every house and even think of automobiles running from solar energy. I don’t think this program will cost trillions. But should Earth be faced with an abrupt climate crisis, a space sunshade is a technically unworkable solution.
Anyway, if this space craft launch program has to happen, I don’t think that a single government would launch such substantial space craft program. It would certainly cost less to develop renewable energy.
The credibility of those scientists is at stake who fear that our planet is hurtling towards disaster and want to warn the public around the globe.
Via: physorg
Comments
A project like this would probably be considered pointless.
Scientists have yet to figure out if Global warming is a human cause or a natural one, as Mars is also getting warmer as well (and last I checked they have less SUV’s compared to Earth).
The idea itself is interesting, but you can find as many scientists supporting human cause for global warming as against (not to mention there are also many scientists doubting that global warming exists entirely).