Re: [Phys-l] H. Sapiens

[chuck britton <cvbritton@mac.com>]

At 3:16 AM -0400 9/23/10, Hugh Haskell wrote:
> Present idea about CO2 removal from the atmosphere are in their
> infancy, and all so far are projected to take decades to be
> effective, if ever, once deployed. Frankly I don't think I'm
> interested in trading the 10-20 million lives and extensive
> destruction of a significant nuclear exchange for the possibility
> that we would be able to use that time to remove several billion tons
> of CO2 from the atmosphere, and put it into the ocean where the
> resulting carbonic acid could reduce the pH of the oceans to the
> point that most, if not all, marine life could be extinguished.

	CO2 liquefaction is a mature technology.
	Depleted gas wells make for good LCO2 storage as well.
	Deep ocean trench storage would localize/minimize the pH problem.

> I much prefer Art Rosenfeld's "white roof'" idea coupled with
> transportation electrification and eliminating coal as an electricity
> source. Not only would painting all roofs worldwide drastically
> reduce the building energy use, it would also change the earth's
> albedo by enough to stop the warning trend pretty much in its tracks.

I agree wholeheartedly about the importance of roofs.
Any roof that isn't painted white should be covered with solar 
collectors for hot water.

Photovoltaics are ok too - just very expensive now -
	and not very green (SERIOUS understatement) in their 
manufacturing process