Comments on: To Save the Planet From Global Warming, Turn the Sahara Green

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:53:13 +0000

Where is the great evil whore corporation Monsanto when we need her! Green, less flammable plants for the hillsides of California would be nice! A plant that could invade and lessen deserts over time ? A “Kelp” that yields nitrogen fertilizers, to clean the gulf of Mexico? Plants that bio-degrade and trap the great plastics gyres of the oceans? What? No great leverage in those products? no promise of astounding ROI, international control? Not CIA evolved Awe! Fvck! I thought I had such good ideas!

By: Acteon

Acteon — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:22:43 +0000

>Guess you dorks have forgotten the reason it’s not green there now.. It never RAINS and sand is not the best SOIL!!!

It does not rain often because there is no much water to evaporate above the desert but it does rain above the desert:

http://www.awitness.org/eden_wing/early_desert_rain.html

Often when it does rain on a desert, the soil produces so much heat that it evaporates the rain before it hits the ground. Having a forest would cool the soil.

Plants that survive in the Gobi, Sahara, Austrialian and South American Desert should be chosen. It would be best to use solar and wind energy to power the desalinization plants. As the forest grow, rain would start to fall over these areas.

The mulch from falling leaves and dead trees will cover the ground and help preserve the humidity in the soil.

By: Tr

Tr — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:37:43 +0000

Education, individual responsibility, cultural shifts…all necessary for helping the planet heal. And at least with that simple formula, much is being done.
Until local governments have the courage to stop destructive tendencies of clear cutting to build houses, malls, and ever more roads…..we’ll continue to see the effects. Individuals have the power of their purses and communication. If everyone spoke up to local, regional, national and international entities with their outrage, concern and commitment, again things will change more quickly.
Every choice we make as consumers has an enormous impact.
We influence EVERYONE and EVERYTHING we touch in our daily life. If we clean our own act up, it will effect things most in a positive way, especially our own mind/heart.
We need to confront the tendencies at cause and effect to get the rate of change/protection/appreciation we need.

By: JBB

JBB — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:24:18 +0000

So…If these trees are such a great thing for geoengineering, and they’re native to Australia, why is so much of Australia a forbidding desert? And if we’re worried about changing the climate having bad effects nearby, why don’t we do a proof of concept where it’s “safe” (by which I mean ‘more natural’), in Australia where the trees are native? Why are we talking about the Sahara? ’cause it’s a more famous desert?

By: Toothbrush

Toothbrush — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:27:50 +0000

We don’t even need to bloody discuss whether this bleeding idea would or would not work. Hands off the outback. It is a beautiful, wild place. Planting a forest would deface the outback, just as cutting trees down defaces forests. Stop the madness. Geo-engineering can win the award for the most self-absorbed of all half-baked ideas thought up by debilitated brains.

Less people, less consumption, more eyes opened. That’s all we need, but it ain’t gonna happen.

By: Ray, Liverpool

Ray, Liverpool — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:27:49 +0000

KATE!!! At last a kindred spirit!!! Well said.

By: Ray, Liverpool

Ray, Liverpool — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:25:37 +0000

Won’t catch on, I’m afraid. No money in it for big business and not enough reasons to take taxes out of peoples’ pockets. That’s what’s important.

By: R,G,Horne

R,G,Horne — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:07:56 +0000

would not it be far better and cheaper to stop the burning of the brazilian rain forest ? and replant all the trees which have already been cut down,

By: john

john — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:28:59 +0000

So what happens if we plant these millions of extra trees, they take the extra carbon out of the air to a so called proper level what do we do then??, cut them down??? because if too much carbon creates warming then surely if we don’t get rid of the trees they will continue to reduce the carbon in the atmosphere thus having a possible rapid cooling effect and other ice age. This is a theory I have read that caused one of the ice ages ie too much vegetation= less carbon = rapid cooling = ice age

By: cameron

cameron — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:20:54 +0000

The solution to a problem that might change the face of the planet is to…. change the face of the planet. Ingenious!

By: Henry Gurwood

Henry Gurwood — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:25:09 +0000

As far as the Sahara is concerned, it might be a big help if the inhabitants could be persuaded to breed a lot fewer cattle and especially goats. I gather they are very destructive to wild plants, eating every little shoot they come across, and greatly assisting the rate of desertification.

I don’t have any suggestion as to how they could be persuaded! But these North African and Arab countries do seem to be very big on cattle for prestige as well as just for food.

By: Mike S

Mike S — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:10:57 +0000

Great ideas, now all we have to do is stop spending so much on wars so we can afford it.

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:11:21 +0000

So what happens to the carbon when the trees die? The tree rots and the carbon is released back into the air. It hasn’t been permanently captured. And if you burn the forest it would get released faster. It seems the reason CO2 levels are increasing is because we are injecting locked-away carbon from underground into a closed system. To bring down these levels we would need to permanently remove the CO2 again. This scheme doesn’t seem a ‘fix’. Any climate specialists out there that can confirm this?

By: Cyril

Cyril — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:54:05 +0000

18th Sept. 2009
Plant a tree for each tree cut down. In London, where I live, I have seen
thousands of trees demolished every day but not replaced any where. Make it compulsory to replace every tree cut all over the world.

Builders should be encouraged to build houses in the trees.
Tree houses, walk ways in the trees, more fun for children and grownups.
No need to go into the deserts to plant more trees. Do it where they can grow easily.
Grow more fruit trees to supplement food problems.
No need to use sea water. Use under ground water and Re-cycle water. Each household should have a water cleaning system.
These type of steps are easy for each person in our world and certainly would cost less.
People of today have forgotten their duties in pusuit of their Rights.
Tell them that you have to fulfil you Duties in order to have your Rights.
Easy no brainer idea.
Cyril

By: Andy Cunningham

Andy Cunningham — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:07:19 +0000

At last. We can control the weather. Who would have thunk it?