Pitch
The question about rising sea levels is not IF but rather WHEN. With my idea we would be able to stop the sea from rising; saving millions.
Description
Summary
Control Alt Delete Climate Change (CAD) is a method for modifying environmental conditions. The method in summary is to deploy a ring of ultra-fine nickel particles into the thermosphere and or the exosphere. Ring would be situated around the equator. The nickel particles essentially create an unbound screen in space which will deflect and absorb some of the suns solar rays. By reducing or minimizing the incoming solar radiation we would see lower temperatures in the local area below this screen and also lower global temperatures.
The best parts about my idea are:
Nickel is non-toxic
We control the particle size meaning it won’t be damaging to spacecraft and satellites. (Particles would be 20 - 40 times smaller than a human hair and virtually invisible, exact size of particles will be determined through testing but is thought to be from 3 – 60 micron)
Nickel is magnetic meaning with electro magnets we can alter or maneuver it once deployed and if need be we can remove it.
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.
Climate change (CC) is a today issue not one that can be put off until tomorrow. Therefore we need to prioritize it and the regions that will be affected. We need to challenge leaders of all countries and make them integrate the issues pertaining to CC into their day2day planning. We need to delegate leadership roles at local and provincial/state levels, national levels, and on an international stage. We need to devise a grading system which will look at all the positives and negatives of all given solutions.
Category of the action
Geoengineering
What actions do you propose?
Creating a shield around the earth would block out a percentage of the sun’s total emissions. A shield around Earth could deflect, block and absorb some of the solar rays. Even impeding 1% of the rays would result in significant differences
Never before has the thought of putting something magnetic in space been proposed. Control Alt Delete Climate Change proposes we use pure nickel.
Nickel isn’t harmful for humans or animals.
Nickel, being magnetic, allows us the ability to control, alter, and delete climate change.
Control: The ability to regulate and monitor the shield at any given moment. Using the magnetic quality of the nickel, we can transfer any amount of nickel to cover certain areas of the earth that may be in critical zones. This will control the earth’s temperatures in the local area and the global temperatures as a whole.
Alter: The ability to collect, manipulate, and maneuver to maximize the projects sun blocking ability
Delete: The ability when completed, to undo or delete the entire effects of climate change.
At this time the nickel shield can be removed if necessary to do so.
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.
Tests to be done:
-Testing abrasive qualities of nickel over satellites and shuttle components
-How nickel will be affected by Earth’s electromagnetic force field
-Check for potential loss or weakening of satellite signals
-Check for possible loss of clarity to astronomers
·Perform a small-scale field test to determine the effectiveness of proposed idea
·Have satellites equipped with electromagnets to reclaim and re-position test plot
End goal:
·Ultimately, block out 1-2% of the sun’s total emissions in order to alter and delete climate change and stop any further rising sea levels
·To regress; have sea levels recede to where they were 10, 20, or 30 years ago
·To restore; have polar ice caps thicken, essentially giving homes back to the animals affected
Ultimate goal:
·To live in a world free of the problems created from climate change
·To live in an environmentally friendly world
I feel to obtain public buy in, laboratory tests with positive results need to be conducted. These tests can be privately funded and results need to be made public. Proof through conviction.
Who will take these actions?
Most scientists still believe that mitigation and adaptation should be tried 1st. I totally agree with the mitigation part however I also believe that it is our obligation to devise and test for a viable Plan B.
Climate change and rising sea levels is a problem that is going to affect the entire world directly and in directly. I think that all viable geoengineering options should be considered by some form of an intergovernmental organization such as the UN or a similar not for profit organization. This group of people should be multinational and have the best interests of Earth and all of its inhabitants as their main controlling guideline.
Ideas should have a team of specialists to test and prove the individual concepts in theory and in lab conditions.
Once tested and proved; concepts should be taken to a larger form where experts in the field evaluate all concepts that have passed initial testing and have proved plausibility.
I think as is law for every reaction there is an equal but opposite reaction so each concept should be judged or rated by looking at how its positives outweigh its potential negatives. Things that would be taken into consideration would be; effectiveness, longevity, cost, and least amount of risk.
Through a process of elimination the top 1 or 2 ideas would be funded though multinational government grants or crowd funding campaigns. Small scale field tests would be done on each to allow researchers to obtain actual test results. All results will be shared publicly.
To inform the public I am planning on campaigning throughout North America. (to start, the world to follow) I will be going to Jr and Sr High schools bringing awareness to CC and the repercussions if we don't act soon. I will also be doing a crowd funding campaign to fund my project.
Where will these actions be taken?
Testing for potential solutions to CC can be done locally. Once a solution is proven and its pros outweigh its cons the idea should then need to obtain a % of world population vote to be permitted to do small-scale field test. Once its effectiveness is proven through these tests, the solution should then need to obtain a lager % of world population vote in order to deploy on a larger scale.
What are other key benefits?
Consequences of doing nothing would be catastrophic. The result would cost the world billions 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 reduce the frequency of droughts, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. We would also minimize the spread of disease, diminishing food and water supplies, and animal extinction.
Some have suggested that the concept of geoengineering the climate presents a moral hazard because it could reduce political pressure for emissions reductions similar to a crutch. I think as we are advancing, we learn from our mistakes and even if we were to geoengineer we would still try to solve the root of the problem. Similar to if I were to break my leg. Sure I would use a crutch while allowing my body time to heal. However once healthy I would walk crutch free.
What are the proposal’s costs?
Testing costs would be minimal. If implemented the cost of the material would be 100 million US$, the cost of deploying would be 40+ billion US$ and the cost of the satellites that would be able to maneuver and control the material in space is not yet determined.
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 the bottom of the ocean and pumping up the sand 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.
I have the answer that 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 4 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
If the above mentioned cities got together, you’d think it would be a no brainer.
Even though I have patented my idea, it will always be my gift to man kind.
Time line
What I am worried about is time. 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 & their building of the MOSE (The largest single environmental project in Europe). The idea was proposed in the 1970s & 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 & the project which will end up costing 5 billion Euros is stated to be completed in 2016. That is 30 years of design work & another 16 years to construct.
Do we have this amount of time to think about a possible ‘plan B” for the world?
I am proposing now 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.
As Mother Teresa said, I alone can't change the world, but with support I plan to cast a stone across the waters that will create many ripples.
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
Heliotropic dust rings:
Rising seas and cities at risk:
OECD Case study on sea-level rise impacts by Robert J. Nicholls
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