OT maybe: US wants to block sun to prevent global warning

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NewsTarget.com printable article

Originally published February 1 2007

U.S. wants to block the sun to prevent global warming

by Gutierrez

(NewsTarget) The U.S. government has officially

recommended that scientists research ways to block out

the sun's light as a way to halt global warming

without reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

" The level of environmental insanity among US

policymakers reaches new heights with this proposal, "

charged Mike , a consumer health advocate and

coauthor of " The Real Safety Guide to Protecting Your

Environment . "

" Blocking the sun would devastate global ecosystems,

reduce solar power efficiency, harm crops and disrupt

the global food supply. It's an idea so insane it

could have only come from politicians, not genuine

scientists. "

The suggestion came in the government's official

response to a draft report by the United Nations

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The

IPCC report, written by climate experts from around

the world, will form the foundation for the next round

of international climate negotiations. The draft was

submitted to world governments for comment in 2006.

According to the U.S. response, " modifying solar

radiance ... is a very important possibility that

should be considered. " Possible techniques for

blocking out sunlight include firing giant mirrors

into space, pumping reflective sulfate droplets or

dust into the high atmosphere, or thousands of small,

reflective balloons.

The IPCC draft report, commenting on such ideas,

called them " speculative, uncosted and with potential

unknown side effects. "

Other portions of the report contested by the U.S.

included the draft's focus on a binding international

treaty to reduce emissions, and that " the report tends

to overstate or focus on the negative effects of

climate change. "

By contrast, the U.S. wants an emphasis on voluntary

emissions standards and more responsibilities for

poorer countries.

The draft report predicts an average global

temperature rise of between 1 and 6.3 degrees from

1990 to 2100. Professor Schneider, a key

figure on the IPCC with more than 30 years of climate

consultation experience, estimated that the average

increase is likely to be 3 degrees or more, with a 10

percent chance of a 6 degree increase or more. He

expressed alarm at how slowly the world has been

responding to the threat of global warming.

" Hell, we buy fire insurance based on a 1 percent

chance, " he said. " If we're going to be risk averse

.... we cannot dismiss the possibility of potentially

catastrophic outliers and that includes [ice sheets

breaking up], massive species extinctions, intensified

hurricanes and all those things. There's at least a 10

percent chance of that. And that, to me, for a society

is too high a risk. "

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