Pres. Obama's Global Warming Plan Involves Geoengineering The Climate To Cool Earth's Air

[ClarkUSA]

WASHINGTON — The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.

John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.... "It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."

Holdren outlined several "tipping points" involving global warming that could be fast approaching. Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said.

Twice in a half-hour interview, Holdren compared global warming to being "in a car with bad brakes driving toward a cliff in the fog."... Holdren, a 65-year-old physicist, is far from alone in taking geoengineering more seriously. The National Academy of Science is making climate tinkering the subject of its first workshop in its new multidiscipline climate challenges program. The British parliament has also discussed the idea.

The American Meteorological Society is crafting a policy statement on geoengineering that says "it is prudent to consider geoengineering's potential, to understand its limits and to avoid rash deployment."... Princeton scientist Robert Socolow told the National Academy that geoengineering should be an available option in case climate worsens dramatically.

Grownups are back in charge of our government, just in time. Know hope.

Hat Tip to HuffPo.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. There he goes again.

Discussing and considering options.

[roguevalley]

27. jeez. make it soon. my house sits on permafrost. seals are dying in the water

because they have to leave to swim due to shrinking ice before they are old enough, baby polar bears are drowning and so are their parents. Its dire, beyond dire. I am in awe that there might be a solution short of me capping a round in my head because this makes me ill. Ill, beyond ill. Go, OBAMA!

[Occam Bandage]

2. I believe you mean "selling out to Big Geoengineering."

[Beetwasher]

3. LOL!

:thumbsup:

[Adelante]

4. !

:rofl:

[SoCalDem]

10. Just more junk- bio-engineering science

:evilgrin:

maybe a giant ice-cannon to shoot ice cubes into the air 24-7 :rofl:

[drm604]

5. I've been thinking that such steps may become necessary.

I'm not comfortable with the idea at all, but we can't totally dismiss it. It's good to know that those in power have an open mind about it, but also realize the dangers.

Read some of the comments below the article. :crazy: We need some drastic improvements in science education in this country to overcome the confusion that is being purposely sowed in the media.

[grantcart]

6. your headline is inaccurate. they are simply discussing the issue

It has not been included into any plan

[ClarkUSA]

7. Holdren is publicly putting this on the table. Also, HuffPo is using a similar headline.

How is my headline "inaccurate"? How do you know what is being decided behind closed doors? Do you really think
President Obama won't opt for geoengineering if the ecological shit hits Gaia's fan?

[grantcart]

12. Your headline states that something that is "on the table" has been adopted and is policy

Your Headline

quote

Pres. Obama's Global Warming Plan Involves Geoengineering The Climate To Cool Earth's Air unquote

Discussing something that is "on the table" is not the same as something that has been decided and is now policy, pretty elementary.

[ClarkUSA]

13. Your connotation of my headline is different from mine. If you want to start your own OP, go ahead.

In the meantime, I stand by my headline. I have no doubt that Team O will do as their top scientists advise.

[grantcart]

14. Top scientists are not advising anything

They are discussing something that is "on the table".


In the end the scientists will in careful language make a specific recommendation where it will be made policy in explicitly language. None of which is present in either your mangled title or in the reply which is also inaccurate because you are implying that a peer review examination of a problem has resulted in a recommendation for major Geo engineering, which certainly raises interesting possibilities, also entails unforeseen problems. In any case the scientists have made no such recommendation.

When you start an OP you will have to defend its language and you can't simply shoo away people that expose your flawed language. You can stand by your headline all you want but people reading the thread are wondering why you don't get a basic point, that Obama has not yet included massive Bioengineering as a possible solution to climate change.

[ClarkUSA]

16. Um, they are. Did you read my OP? Have you complained to the editors of HuffPo, too?

"... massive Bioengineering as a possible solution to climate change."

Do you mean geoengineering? It's important when you're splitting hairs to avoid using "flawed language" because "people
reading the thread are wondering why you don't get a basic point..." :eyes:

[grantcart]

18. your correct about intending to use geoenineering

I had intended to refer to massive bioengineering projects that have almost always created more problems after the fact than the problems they were intended to solve but your replies are tedious and I didn't want to continue wasting my time.

Now for the benefit of everyone please list out the projects that the scientists have considered and approved for recommendation to the President that will be included in his Plan (remember these are the plans that have been discussed and are 'off the table' and now formally policy):

[ClarkUSA]

19. You must mean to use "you're" in your reply; instead you misspelled it as "your"...

Remember, try not to use "flawed language" because "people reading the thread are wondering why you don't get... basic" spelling.

:eyes:

Now for the benefit of everyone please list out the projects that the scientists have considered and approved for recommendation to the President that will be included in his Plan (remember these are the plans that have been discussed and are 'off the table' and now formally policy):

Sorry, but no, because "your replies are tedious and I didn't want to continue wasting my time."

[grantcart]

21. exactly no plans have been approved by science advisers for consideration of the President

But here is breaking news; The people advising the President are considering and discussing lots of things and have put many things on the table.

[ClarkUSA]

22. How do you know? You seem to be getting overheated. Do you need some "cool air" on your keyboard?

:rofl:

There could very well be a pro-geoengineering report for the President to read now that he's back from his G20 summit trip.
I expect there's good reason Holdren went public. Obviously, he's gotten positive feedback from his friend and fellow global
warming specialist Dr. Chu or else I doubt he'd have said anything. It's not an option that scientists will use unless the
alternative was ecological collapse on a global scale, anyway, so stop hyperventilating. I assure you, there's good reason
why President Obama just appointed Dr. Holdren as his new science advisor. I doubt Dr. Holdren's suggestions, coupled
with the other notable kudos that geoengineering has gotten from climate scientists and other governments (read my OP),
will be ignored and discarded by 44.

[The2ndWheel]

8. That decreases our impact how?

[PBS Poll-435]

9. HuffPo

[Brooklyndodger]

11. If it works, go for it

I'd give it a shot.

[soothsayer]

15. Ask the Martians how that went when they tried it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Well the Venusians didn't and look what happened to them.

The idea of messing with the climate is scary, but the truth is we have already been messing with it just through our lifestyle.

[Gregorian]

17. "Any approach"?

I know one approach they aren't going to entertain. The approach that ultimately will have to be considered. The approach that is contrary to our very modern existence. The outside of the box thinking approach. The one approach that absolutely no one wants to entertain.

So never mind this post. Carry on.



I should clarify that I'm all for anything that works. It's not like it's all or nothing. My gripe is that no one is discussing the most important facet of the problem. In other words, smaller and less. Those are never even considered. Although in China...oh, never mind.

[slutticus]

20. Weyland-Yutani: Building Better Worlds (TM)

"Remarkable piece of machinery. Completely automated. We manufacture those by the way....."

[jimlup]

23. As a last resort

yes, it should be considered. But ...

[cwcwmack]

25. don't cool it down just yet...

It's freekin' cold here, lol... and my buddy in Indi said it snowed yesterday!

Wait til July!

[ram2008]

26. Sounds like a horrible idea.

I usually agree with the direction the Obama administration is going, but this sounds terrible.

There are much more negatives than positives that can come from direct climate manipulation; let earth handle it.