Comments on: Architects Propose Fantastic Greenhouses Across the Sahara

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:35:05 +0000

Interesting idea. It may have a future as an agricultural/industrial concept.

However when they start talking about “… a ‘hedge’ of greenhouses providing a windbreak and shelter …” count me out. This sounds like terraforming on a regional level and it just won’t work. It’s high cost, high touch, high maintenance solution in an area of the world that has NONE of the resources required to even get this started.

If you want to change the climate of an entire desert region, use plants. They are cheap, practical, and self-sustaining. Even when mankind is neglectful, underfunded, ignorant, unobservant, diverted, or whatever, plants can do the right thing automatically. They replenish themselves as needed. They spread into viable microenvironments and retreat from hostile areas.

Plants, just plants, without all the high concept greenhouses, artificial water sources, shelters, power generation systems, mirrors that need cleaning (!), motors that need replacing, gears that need lubricating, the whole maintenance enchilada.

Sure, the plants may need a little (or a lot) of help getting started. However that’s the only practical method available.

By: Henry Ricks

Henry Ricks — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:24:26 +0000

Anyone know where the salt from the sea water ends up? Just curious.

Sounds like something that should be tested on a large scale.

By: David Bowman

David Bowman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:11:11 +0000

Mark, with an attitude like that, none of the good things that you take for granted would exist. We have to move forward optimistically while also accepting that anything we do has the potential to bring about negatives. It’s just the homeostatis of the world — you have to take the bad with the good. The potential for negatives doesn’t mean that we should sit at home, alone, writing nihilistic posts on science blogs.

By: Eliza Strickland

Eliza Strickland — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:27:58 +0000

Come to think of it, I'm surprised the Australians aren't experimenting with this seawater greenhouse concept. They're in the midst of a devastating drought.

By: Thomas Bjelkeman-Pettersson

Thomas Bjelkeman-Pettersson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:50:21 +0000

There is plenty of deserts where this could be applied. The use of Seawater Greenhouse technology could help counter spreading deserts. Also growing vegetables this way can be made completely carbon neutral (i.e. use of locally grown biofuels to transport the food to the market).

“Enough fertile land could turn into desert within the next generation to create an “environmental crisis of global proportions,” (1)

‘Ghana and Nigeria currently experience desertification; in the latter, desertification overtakes about 1,355 square miles (3,510 km2) of land per year.” (2)

Taking into account what is happening in the next 25 years:

Increased urbanisation (people stop growing their own food), 1.7 billion people more in 2030. (3)
Climate change (more deserts). (4)
Growing populations (more food needed), 2.5 billion more people in 2030 (5), and these populations are are all relatively close to areas where Seawater Greenhouse technology can be used successfully. (6).

Seawater Greenhouse technology may be one of the least invasive ways of producing food when applied correctly. I think we should be clear on that we need this type of integrated thinking in the next 25 years.

Disclosure: I work with Charlie Paton, Seawater Greenhouse.

(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/world/28deserts.html
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanisation
(4) http://www.ipcc.ch/
(5) http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpopinfo.html
(6) http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/regions.htm

By: Jef

Jef — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:08:52 +0000

Notice how they’re talking about doing this in the north. None of the northern countries are as poor or have food shortages on the scale of many of the Saharan and sub-Saharan countries. Using a line of these as a hedge is a great idea and Morocco as well as most of the other northern countries could easily finance this, but the Sahara is expanding to the south as well.

By: EnergyRevolution

EnergyRevolution — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:01:12 +0000

THIS IS THE FUTURE! ACCEPT IT LIVE IT …

The Solar Millennium has eventually been unleashed, but not by Photovoltaics. The Future lies in the heat of the SUN.

Nuclear Fusion, Baby!!! JUST FAR AWAY RISING EVERY DAY !!!

Check Solar Millennium (S2M) I’m part of the Future ….

By: jimmy

jimmy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:36:33 +0000

this would be great! at least people living there can benefit from this.. to all you rich guys out there. this is the real avenue to help our brothers and sisters there..

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:33:40 +0000

Unfortunately the political will to develop this enough to offset a lot of hunger probably won’t come until lots of (mainly poor or nonwhite) people die. It’s a fabulous idea… (but following on its heels will likely be new resort towns, like, a neo Las Vegas filled with American fast food, American retail chains, and American (a k a Christian) gambling designed to make dimwit tourists feel at home and therefore feel slightly less stupid than usual.)