Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution want to dump 6,600 gallons of sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as caustic soda or lye, into the ocean off the coast of Cape Cod in an effort to slow climate change.
The unusual plan will likely face significant headwinds, not just from US regulators but from local fishing communities and environmentalists as well…
…critics remain skeptical and concerned about the possible risks involved.
We will need to move ahead with projects like this if we’re to slow or even reverse climate change.
The proposed amount is literally a drip in the ocean compared to the pollution we pour in every year.
I see things quite differently. I believe for an honest attempt to reverse climate change “we” should first start reducing the activities that created the problem in the first place, and all those are related to industrialization.
Btw I use the word “we” in brackets because I am not really talking about people individually. It is a global issue that industries have created it by following an economical model of eternal expansions. Eternal expansion is not sustainable.
If we take a look for example at a pie chart of Sector by sector: where do global greenhouse gas emissions come from? we can see that they come from:
- 5.2% Industry (cement chemicals)
- 24.2 Energy use in industry
- 6.6% Energy use in buildings (commercial)
- 5.8% Fugitive emissions from energy production
- 4.76% Road transport (lorries and trucks - see text bellow chart)
That’s a sum of 46.56% already, and I am leaving things out like mono-cultures and meat industry.
So I’d say I don’t think “we” need to do more, “we” actually need to do less.
It’s not enough to stop, we need to restore the world to a climate that has supported humanity and quickly.