Friday, May 30, 2008

the devil's in the details

The global warming expert, Tim Flannery, thinks we are approaching a time when cutting greenhouse gas emissions, closing down coal-burning plants, and replacing them with alternate sources of energy, are not enough in themselves. We need to do something more drastic. Injecting the atmosphere with sulphur, therefore changing the colour of our blue skies, may be as necessary as anything if we hope to survive, says Flannery. This global dimming plan would effectively shield us where our ozone could no longer. Yet, tellingly, Flannery admits "The consequences of doing that are unknown". They're probably more than just unknown, I think. They would probably be disasterous, since you can't make radical changes, especially in the environment, and expect all other variables to remain the same. The changes would be pronounced and harsh. Any other ideas?

No comments: