Now come the acrobats. The Copenhagen Consensus Centre think-tank is working hard to weigh really true solutions to altering the alterated climate. Let’s see.
The “cloud ships” stands out as one of their most cheap and viable projects: 1,900 wind-powered, unmanned ships directed by satellite would ply the oceans sucking up seawater and spraying minuscule droplets of it out through tall funnels to create large white clouds. These clouds, it is predicted, would reflect around one or two per cent of the sunlight that would otherwise warm the ocean. It is acknowledged that the scheme may affect rainfall patterns and the solution is to put them rather far away -from the land, though not from marine ecosystems...
This “brilliant” idea would cost as cheap as $9 billion to test and launch within 25 years. A bargain. Other projects include sending mirrors into space by rocket to deflect the sun’s rays, scattering iron powder into the seas to boost CO2-absorbing plankton, and mimicking the effects of volcanic eruptions in shielding the sun's rays with a chemical haze and creating a global cooling effect that can last for over a year. All these have been dismissed as unviable and expensive. Imagine!
The director of the Copenhagen think-tank, Bjorn Lomborg, has clear thoughts and fortunately calls a spade a spade. He believes the schemes could prove that there are better ways of addressing climate change than simply reducing CO2 emissions: “We need to have a debate about all of the options, not just the politically correct one of reducing CO2.”
We cannot help but quoting some comments on this piece of news at telegraph.co.uk (http://tiny.cc/pYlIv) that reflect the feelings these “solutions” arouse in sensible people: “Brilliant: Why didn't I think that? Spray ocean water into the air to mitigate rising sea levels and cure obesity? And my plan will only cost you taxpayers $230,000,000,000.” “Call me stupid but isn't Venus covered in clouds? Clouds which have allowed the surface temperature to rise high enough to melt lead.” “How are you going to protect these ships from somali pirates. Alright, this made me laugh. And if I'm the only one who thought 'Star Wars' when I saw these, I'm going to be one sad panda.”
