Five extreme ways to beat climate change
From virtual volcanos to space mirrors, science is exploring new ways to fend off global warmingStratospheric aerosolsMimics the cooling effects of a volcanic eruption by spraying shiny sulphur compounds into the high atmosphere. Relatively cheap and easy to do, though it would require non-stop effort as the chemicals gradually fall back to Earth. Possible side effects include changes to global water cycle and rainfall. Would not stop CO2 build up and subsequent effects including ocean acidification.Plausibility: 7/10Ocean fertilisationDump iron into the sea to boost plankton growth and soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Hard to do on a significant scale and could contravene international laws on ocean dumping. Doubts about how deep the plankton would sink have raised questions on how permanent a solution it would be.Plausibility: 5/10Cloud whiteningFleets of sailing ships strung across the world's oceans could spray seawater into the sky to evaporate and leave...
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