SuperMegaMonkey: Science: June 2006 Archives

Science

First, they didn't want to admit that global warming could actually be happening. It was just alarmists and wacky enviromentalists, and it had no basis in "true" science. Today, the New York Times has done an about face. Not only do they admit global warming is a fact, they've written an article about some of the great ways we can battle it.

Wait for it....

SUNSHADES IN SPACE!!!!!

In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet.

Wow. Now i see why they're the paper of record. That sure is some quality reporting. They're not cracked in the head at all.

Now, the entire article's not as bad as all that. It's not all about window treatments in space. There's also a proposal to make clouds more reflective, "trick" the ocean into soaking up more greenhouse gasses (hey, as long as the air is still breathable for us, who cares about the fishies?), and injecting sulphur into the stratosphere.

But wait, there's more.

In April, at his invitation, Roger P. Angel, a noted astronomer at the University of Arizona, spoke at the academy's annual meeting. Dr. Angel outlined a plan to put into orbit small lenses that would bend sunlight away from earth - trillions of lenses, he now calculates, each about two feet wide, extraordinarily thin and weighing little more than a butterfly.

So, let me get this straight. We can't possibly develop alternative fuels that would be less polluting or vehicles and machines that are more efficient (even though every other country in the world has already been doing it for years), we can't come up with any ideas or legislation that would help decrease greenhouse gas emissions (remember, carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. without it, we couldn't blow dandelion seeds into the air). Or, you know, work with the world community to regulate our pollutant output, perhaps a treaty of some sort....No. These are ludicrous suggestions. Clearly little glass lenses in the sky is the way to go.

I think the last line of the article sums it up quite nicely.

"So far," he added, "there is little reason to be optimistic."

By min | June 27, 2006, 12:30 PM | Liberal Outrage & Science | Comments (1)| Link

Doomsday Vault

Update: Forgot to mention Wei sent this link to me.

The Norwegian government is building a giant vault inside solid rock to house millions of seeds in case the world ends, and we need seeds to start growing our own food.

Crop seeds are the source of human sustenance, the product of 10,000 years of selective breeding dating to the dawn of agriculture. The "doomsday vault," as some have come to call it, is to be the ultimate backup in the event of a global catastrophe -- the go-to place after an asteroid hit or nuclear or biowarfare holocaust so that, difficult as those times would be, humankind would not have to start again from scratch. ... The Norwegian government is paying for the facility's construction -- an estimated $3 million, with about half of that for the concrete alone, which must be shipped. After that, annual operating expenses are expected to be $200,000 at first, dropping to $100,000 by year three. The trust has established an endowment that so far has $50 million of the $260 million that will be needed to sustain operations without depleting its principal. Contributions have come from about a dozen countries as well as foundations, seed companies and others.

But guess which one country that signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is not yet ready to actually go along with it? C'mon. You can guess. What country regularly ignores or reneges on treaties? I know. There are so many to choose from...

If you guessed the United States, then you guessed right!!! Yay for you!!

The United States has signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it.

You know what the treaty's governing board has done to get more cooperation from nations? They will allow nations to maintain their patent protections on seeds they donate.

Oh, well, that's different, then. As long as we can keep the patent on our seeds, you can have them. Wouldn't want to lose out on any profits to be had when Armeggeddon comes and survivors want to plant our seeds for food. I'll be damned if they want to get away with that survival stuff for free. Forget that the world monetary won't exist as it does today should Armeggeddon befall us. They'll have something to trade for the privilege of planting our patent protected seeds, or by God, we'll sue them!

By min | June 19, 2006, 1:32 PM | Liberal Outrage & Science | Comments (5)| Link

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