FollowWhy are we asking this now?
Why?! Obviously, because the situation today seems well out of our control. With each degree rise in the temperature, the earth is swooning because of a dramatic change in its climatic conditions. The Arctic ice caps are melting at an ever quickening pace, the glaciers have speeded up their tracks, freshwater is drastically bringing down the salinity proportion in the sea resulting in the change of current directions, super winds are raging havoc and humanity as a whole has come under an immense threat to existence. All this cacophony might not just be piercing the busy ears of people, but being deaf does not mean there is no noise. The global climate is undergoing a vast change and the faster we accept and start walking the good road, the better, it is for us.
Is it really that serious?
Well, yes, it is! Apart from those mentioned above, global warming has other grave effects. First, global warming is increasing incidences of forest fires. When the core filters of carbon dioxide are facing mass destruction at the hands of nature and humans alike, where will the gas go if the absorbers are gone? Rising temperatures are causing ice caps to melts. The faster it melts, the warmer it gets. The more water is derived from ice, the more heat is radiated out (considering the fact that water has the property to absorb heat and then release it slowly). Ocean surfaces are rising increasing the threat of catastrophes like tsunamis and super tsunamis. Hurricanes and ice storms are rapidly gulping down energy in the form of increasing heat and are becoming vital threats. Do we need any more reason to prove that it is truly serious?
What others are saying?
As for the idea itself, well it was proposed way back in 1989 by James Early, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Twenty years and the idea has kicked up fuel in another genius mind. Astronomer Roger Angel has suggested that this idea can be materialized although the process would take another decade and trillions of dollars to reach perfection. The scientist is of the opinion that small and transparent space crafts, the size of a few inches each could be actually be utilized to fan off the a considerable percent of sunlight right out there in the space. Probably, a lower level of the sun’s light could decrease the effective increase in global warming, given that carbon emissions do not considerably reduce. It is an estimation that this preparation would be successfully utilized for almost fifty years if executed according to the devised plans.
The developments
There has been nothing as far as real physical development is considered. All the hoopla is just in the scientific air till now, but the project itself is feasible enough to turn into a reality. According to the suggestion, a cloud of mini-crafts would be shot up in the space, a million miles from the earth’s surface in an orbit named L-1 that would be in perfect alignment to the sun’s light beams. The diameter of the cloud would be half that of the earth and would stretch 60,000 miles wide. This cloud would be efficient enough to block off 2% of the sun’s light that is presently being received on the earth. The conventional method of using shuttles to place satellites has been discarded. Instead, electromagnetic launchers would be used to shoot them out. One in the space, outside gravitational influence, these light butterfly sized crafts would be pushed into the decided orbit using ionic propulsion. This would drastically reduce the cost which would have been incurred in the traditional rocket method.
The main hurdles
They could be many, considering the fact that the entire idea is only a concept till now and it would take many more years of in depth research to actualize. Listing down some of the main challenges that this actualization procedure would face, the most prominent would be the hurdles from thinkers. To start with, I have a question. Would the blocking of some percentage of the sun’s light not possibly bring other undesirable changes in the biotic life on the earth? Plants are known to utilize particular wavelengths of light for specific periods to grow properly. Would such tampering be a wise decision? Would it not have some long term effect just like the oil craze had? Secondly, would adding to space debris be good?
What can be done?
The answer is, let’s see. Looking out for renewable energy sources and indispensable, whether or not space umbrellas are created. However, for emergency situations like that of today, it is a formidable picture just to watch the world scamper under heavy carbon load. As such, sun-shade could be the possible option. Certainly, research is being conducted in this direction and a possible output could be seen in the near future.
Source: ecofriend
