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[Phys-l] global temperatures -- a modest proposal



The other day I met a guy who has a proposal to solve the
problem.

He says all we need to do is figure out a way to trigger
volcanic eruptions. All you need is one Pinatubo-sized
eruption every two or three years. That will inject
sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere and cause global
cooling, enough to offset the warming due to CO2 etc.
in the troposphere.

The best part, he says, is that you would only need about
15 volcanoes, if you set them off at intervals, one every
three years. That's because in 50 years or so, if present
trends continue, we will have used up all the fossil carbon
fuels, and the CO2 problem will have gone away on its own.

Alternatively you could just buy sulfur on the open market,
convert it to SO2 and dump it into the stratosphere. He
says you would need a few million tons per year, which would
be roughly a 100% perturbation on the existing US sulfur
market. If you could get it for current prices, on the
order of $50 per ton, it would be quite cheap compared to
other anti-warming initiatives.

The acid rain would probably kill every frog in the world,
and every coral, but they're probably doomed anyway, so
who cares.