Top 10 ways to reduce CO2

[Mike]

Hack Planet Earth. This website shows the top ten methods proposed to combat global warming and pollution. There are some amazing ideas in there. . . which is your favourite?

10. Vertical Farming
The idea is to have food production in city skyscrapers. This will reduce transport to the the biggest consumers, allow food production all year around and absorb C02 where it is most needed.

9. More efficient Cows
Cows produce methane right? Methane is 40 times worse for the environment than CO2 so serving a steak dinner to the family is like driving a hummer 40 miles. Feeding the cows garlic as part of their diet will kill the methane producing bacteria in their stomachs. Not only that but it might season your meat at source too!

8. Carbon Scrubbers
Converting those damned pesky emissions into limestone. The only problem is they look like giant electric heaters. . . .

7. Hurricane Control
Adding dust to hurricane's can reduce their effect and strength. Either that or be a very serious sand wash to anything they meet. . . .

6. Cloud Ships
Have 1000 self propelled and directed cloud producing ships roaming the oceans. They will produce clouds to reflect the sun's rays and therefore reduce the temperature gained by doubling CO2 in the atmosphere. It will also prevent sun from reaching the earth. Don't get me wrong - amazing idea but don't plants and us need sunlight to survive?!

5. Better Trees
Genetically engineer those pesky inefficient trees to absorb CO2 better!

4. Ocean Fertilisation
Get those CO2 absorbing plankton really racing - lots of plankton equals lots of CO2 reduction (and presumably more fish too!).

3. Man made volcanoes
These work like the cloud ships except (I assume) people would be willing to see them 'set off'. Blocking sunlight and therefore reducing surface temperatures.

2. Solar mirrors
Reflect the sunshine with a massive solar mirror. At a cost of only $5 trillion dollars and a 50 year life expectancy who would not want this? I would think that 50 year man made ice age would be amazingly good fun. . . .

1. Remove the Status Quo
More damaging than imaginable because they steadfastly refuse to make the required serious actions to combat global warming.

[Mike]

I personally think that the Vertical Farming is the best option. Very sensible and probably not either a mass genocide or mind bendingly stupid!

[johnriley1uk]

The day cows taste of garlic is the day I stop eating them. Ugh.

I like the idea of plankton absorbing CO2. That could go on in the background without disturbing Sunday Dinner.

Vertical farming? What is the Carbon cost of building the vertical farm?

Better trees? Well more trees would be good, although you have to be careful because I understand it doesn't always have a benefit.

CO2 to limestone? Excellent. Politicians let off lots of hot air, so maybe their CO2 could be limestoned as well.

[mr_e]

I've gone for vertical farming, because it's less likely to go insanely wrong and kill everyone on the planet. Unfortunately it does encourage population growth, at least in terms of food availability, so maybe not ideal in every respect.

In reality, I'll take the mystery eleventh option: find a way to sustainably reduce our population (less people = less CO2, and no need for that change in lifestyle which people seem to be averse to) and buy less crap.

[johnriley1uk]

and buy less crap.

Christmas hardly seems the best time to start this one.

Probably we need to reduce the buying of crap slowly, otherwise there are a lot of people who are going to have no income. We do consume more than we need, but if we suddenly stopped then it could be very very serious to the world economy.

In terms of Natural Selection it's the job of wars and plagues to sort this out. I wonder if we did nothing if that would not just be the outcome. Increased populations>competition for space and resources>war and disease>reduced population>reduced competition>new cycle of expansion.....even choking the planet to death might not be the end. Some would adapt, survive and carry on and things would get better again.

And start all over again. How many times has it happened already?

[Mike]

In reality, I'll take the mystery eleventh option: find a way to sustainably reduce our population

Sustainably reduce our population?! I think that has very interesting imagery associated with it. I would be very interested to know what you thought a sustainable solution to this problem would be!