Latest Idea to Stop Global Warming: Grab a Giant Balloon & 12 Miles of Garden Hose…
- Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:20pm by
Liz Klimas
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This rendition depicts essentially what the Spice Project will look like. (Image: The Guardian)
Take a soccer stadium-size helium balloon, 12 miles of garden hose and cross your fingers for slowing global warming. Sound crazy? A team of British scientists could soon be doing just this to test the affect of pumping particles into the stratosphere, to the dismay of other environmental groups.
According to Popular Science, this attempt at geo-engineering is “audacious” and “very well might not work.” Popular Science has more on how some Brits think this will work:
The idea is to mimic the effect that volcanoes have when they erupt, pumping all kinds of particulate matter into the stratosphere that helps reflect solar radiation back into space. And while using a balloon and a long stretch of hose to create an artificial volcano may sound a bit “mad scientist,” the UK government is on board, putting more than $2.5 million behind the project. The Royal Society is backing this.
Others groups think deployment of this full-scale technology could be dangerous to weather systems that affect rainfall and farming. The Guardian reports:
“What is being floated is not only a hose but the whole idea of geo-engineering the planet. This is a huge waste of time and money and shows the UK government’s disregard for UN processes. It is the first step in readying the hardware to inject particles into the stratosphere. It has no other purpose and it should not be allowed to go ahead,” said Pat Mooney, chair of ETC Group in Canada, an NGO that supports socially responsible development of technology.
Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth UK, said: “We are going to have to look at new technologies which could suck CO2 out of the air. But we don’t need to do is invest in harebrained schemes to reflect sunlight into space when we have no idea at all what impact this may have on weather systems around the globe.”
The Guardian says that the researchers of the Stratospheric particle injection for climate engineering (Spice) project plan to formally announce their plans to test this method next month.
Before the full-sized system can be deployed, the research team will test a scaled-down version of the balloon-and-hose design.
. . .
The team will send a balloon to a height of 1km over an undisclosed location. It will pump nothing more than water into the air, but it will allow climate scientists and engineers to gauge the engineering feasibility of the plan. Ultimately, they aim to test the impact of sulphates and other aerosol particles if they are sprayed directly into the stratosphere.
Popular Science sums things up nicely: “But seriously, spewing chemical particulates into our atmosphere in an attempt to artificially mimic one of mother nature’s most destructive and far-reaching devices — what could possibly go wrong?”
Although, the idea of volcanoes slowing global warming isn’t new. The Washington Post reported a study in July that attributed part of the reduced rate of global warming in the last decade to minor volcanic eruptions that have increased particular matter in the atmosphere.
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Comments (177)
HellPhish89
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:15pmtoo bad water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas.. what a bunch of idiots
Report Post »wildbill_b
Posted on September 5, 2011 at 1:51pmDon’t forget that H2O vapor has a very high feedback rate. Slight increases in CO2 percentages equate to slight heat increases. As the temp rises so does the amount of H20 vapor contained in the atmosphere. Water being one of the best heat retainers on earth, this ridiculous idea can only exasperate the problem. Apparently high school science classes are not a requirement anymore. Make believe works much better.
Report Post »Peace.
Dustoff
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:05pmIt’s going to take some HUGE water pressure to push it that high.
Report Post »John 1776
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:17pmHead pressure would be wild! All that oil being used to drive the ship and the pumps….
“to the dismay of other environmental groups.”
See, that’s the point anyway. Nothing really has to do with the actual environment. These people don’t want a “fix”, they want to use the issue to redistribute wealth and drive successful nations back to the stone age! Don’t tell them about a solution to their so-called problem, they don’t want one.
Report Post »big oil iceman
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:42pm2285.714 psi to reach 1 mile
Report Post »think1st
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:46pmAnyone out there an engineer, and know how to convert 12 MILES of head pressure to PSI?
Report Post »These idiots ACTUALLY CONSIDER ideas like this…. Amazing….
think1st
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:49pmGotta be a helluva garden hose…
Report Post »think1st
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:51pmSorry Big Oil, I didn’t see your post before mine… Do you just multiply that figure by 12, or is it more complicated than that?
Report Post »RA0725
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:02pmThe pressure isn’t that big of a problem. You could pump a mile high with a pressure washer from the hardware store. Not much flow rate though. The idea has about as much merit as painting all building roofs white. Where’s the cost/benefit and more importantly who is supposed to pay for it? I propose this group of intellectuals form a corporation with their own money and submit a business plan to investors. No more government handouts.
Report Post »uneedmorekoolaid
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:40pmoh you know that is gonna kink! I can’t my garden hose to run 20 ft without kinking! I might have to invest in some garden hose making companies though. Wonder if al gore is making garden hoses in his basement?
can we just wrap the hose around a few of the geniuses necks before we let the balloon take off?
Report Post »chexfive
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 2:51amKoolAid, you are too funny, I’m rolling on the floor.
Well the phonies, will say, if global warming wasn‘t real you think we’d spend millions on this project?
Is it like they know a certain percent of the population think (know) global warming is a hoax, and they don’t care about them, they just want to keep the hype up for the ones that buy it boat, balloon and sinker. They will keep the Global Warming hype going even if it takes another 10 years to get more people to believe it so they can implement their total control, and steal all we have left for “The Global Cause”. , another generation will be indoctrinated to the progressives thought, that is why they will keep this up even though some of these scientist are being investigated for fraud and lying about this.
Wanna do something real, lower Chiner industrial output like you do the formerly industrialized nations, they took over the #1 spot in world production, they are creating more pollutants than we are, yet we get the strict guidelines, and once more, at this stage we are not an industrial nation anymore, we are producing very little compared to just 20 years ago. The UN and these other sustainable development programs, they say they want to stop something but only make certain nations stop polluting, that is like saying I only want red cars on the roads, if you don’t have a red car, you are out of luck. This is discrimination on a global scale.
I bet Al Gore had to chip in on this to keep the hoa
Report Post »volt_827
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 9:55amI am a resigned volunteer fireman, and with the numbers you just put up to push water almost vertical to approximately 1 KM up…..I don’t know if they make a pump large enough for such a task. Dependent on the hose diameter…just saying
Report Post »Pastor Ray
Posted on September 5, 2011 at 3:01pmDUH can you spell S-T-U-P-I-D? Forget about the head pressure…just place a suction pump every 25 feet long the way up or a pressure pump every 100 feet and one big electrical cord to supply power for them all…Hmmm wonder if that will mean they’ll need a bigger balloon for lift…Sounds like an Obummer Zar if I ever heard of one!
Report Post »Glenn in Virginia
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:03pmBut, what if the space aliens NASA is worried about spot it? Then they’ll know for sure how stupid and vulnerable we are.
Report Post »Xkiller
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 6:59pmWell, if they live on brains sucked out of these guys heads, they’ll starve. I just wish they would stop the scare tactics and just tell us the REAL truth. I know we are having an effect on the climite, there is just too many of us not to, but come on. I guess we should know better, these are the same people that gave us the giant ice ships from WWII……morons
Report Post »TroyBray
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 1:33pm@xkiller
Report Post »If humans are causing climate change, something else must be true. Since Mars‘ temperature change over the past 30 years has exactly mirrored Earth’s, and only 1 solar powered man-made item exists on Mars, then solar powered vehicles damage the climate millions of times more than Diesel or Coal. Duh.
How about this, if you rounded up all the people on earth, and gave each of them 1/16th of an acre to live on (an average suburban home plot), the entire population of the earth would live in Alaska. And yet, you think human beings affect the climate. One little volcano in Iceland put out more CO2 than all of the cars and trucks and power plants in the world have- EVER. And you think human beings are affecting the climate?
The Sun is the only thing in this universe big enough to affect the climate over an entire planet, let alone 2. Duh.
Stehekin912
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:01pmThis and ideas like it are, IMHO, akin to quackery. It is hard to believe that people would actually be doing things like this based on such scanty and questionable “science”. Why not turn these monumental efforts and “intellectual creativity” to solving pollution and other environmental problems that are actually caused by people, or by making industries we have now more efficient, cleaner and less expensive? Surely such great minds can think of something actually useful.
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:11pmYeah, this idea will work about as well as:
“Oh…. Um, l-look, if we built this large wooden badger…”
Or…
“…and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped.”
Report Post »“This new learning amazes me, Sir Belvedere. Explain again how sheep’s bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes.”
Florida_Freedom_Fighter
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:45pmLOL @ Badger……large wooden badger ….muhahaha
Report Post »oriondma05
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:00pmA weather machine?!?! Try it over Texas first, they need rain.
Report Post »chazman
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 8:48am… your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries …
Report Post »AzSage
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:58pmmorons.
Report Post »INOGAWD
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 12:09amGonna use the same PUMP that Gore used to spread all
Report Post »that shi** to the world…??
flevan
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:57pmUse solar to boil water. Done.
Report Post »FEMALL
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:56pmI’m good with it as long as all equipment is made out of recycled products,recycled water from the ship is used, all scientists involved are vegans and, oh,yes, the ship is powered by recycled french fry oil.
O=US screwed
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:55pmNow, if one adds a little pork fat it might work.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:07pmHhmmm…
Report Post »alaskajohn
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:50pmIf I could get 1 billion people to come to alaska and take 5 gallons of glacier water back to mountain peaks in their respective states recreating glaciers in the lower 48. I would then take the huge amounts of gold everyone knows is under the glacier and finance a space mission to find and bring back ice astroids from space to replace the alaskan glaciers. We would double the earths fresh water supply and send the earth into another ice age, and to prevent that we of course we would have to produce and manufacture our way back to global warming which would take hundreds of years of prosperity. This is truly a solution worthy of the problem.
Report Post »AzSage
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:56pmHurray! Finally, someone with a real solution!!!!! We’re saved!! lol.
Report Post »uneedmorekoolaid
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:33pmSo are these wooden pails you are using or are they plastic? I am interested in manufacturing these buckets so that I can retire with a nice igloo with a cool man cave!
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 2:08amQuick! Write up a grant proposal!
Report Post »chexfive
Posted on September 4, 2011 at 3:02amHey Govco, will you stop spraying stuff in my air please, you know your gonna goof it up, then where will we be? Oh, yeah, I forgot, global catastrophe warming.
I’m beginning to think we need a split congress with the largest gap in between, we need gridlock so the stupid politico‘s can’t touch anything, govco just keep your hands off everything for a minute and see where we are at, let NATURE take it’s course. P.S You can do that with the banks too.
Everything they do cost hundreds of billions, even the little stuff. Then every bill I can think of in the last 4 years has pretty much taken away something from me, while giving me nothing back. We gotta keep these congress retards from hitting the yes button. Yeah, We definitely need a counsel of citizens to watch the criminals in DC.
Report Post »tmkphx1962
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:50pmWe banned aerosol spray cans to save the ozone layer. Now they want to pump aerosols into the stratosphere to stop global warming? Too bad the Earth has not warmed and actually cooled over the last ten years. Does anyone ever think of unintended consequences?
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:47pmOkay I have to admit, as con jobs go on the part of the UN Global Warming Grand Theft, this one is different — utterly stupid, unneeded and undeniably being used for the massive theft of wealth from the prosperous nations unto the rest of the UN leadership pockets.
Report Post »http://artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm (cat folk art)
jado1981
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:45pmHow can I sign up to cash in on this 2.5 million dollar ponzi scheme?
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:13pmJust ask the UK govt. Apparently, austerity measures do not apply to “valid scientific research.”
Report Post »theamericanvision
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:39pmIt would make sense that the same group that thinks that co2 is solely responsible for the planets temperature increase would be the same people that think a balloon spraying water into the stratosphere may have disastrous consequences.
Report Post »chazman
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:49pm… Hey! I didn‘t approve of anybody messin’ with MY atmosphere!! What a pack of ultra maroons!
Report Post »Friggin’ global warming geeks!
Orion the truth hunter
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:39pmWhile I believe man made global warming is a farce, I have to side with the people who think this is a bad idea and could be harmful (and certainly wasteful). The intent is not to make a “fake cloud” of water droplets but to pump up a solution of sulfates (per the popular science article) and spray that out in an aerosol. The water would evaporate leaving very fine particles (they may act as nuclei for water droplets). Tiny particles were the catalyst for ozone breakdown over Antarctica so who knows what this might do. Also, besides the chemical being pumped up, what if a harmful bacteria or spore was in the solution? I would not want to be down wind of that.
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:39pmJust an FYI for these guys, but the water pressure at the base of the hose, down by the ship, will be 28,000 psi. It can’t be done unless the water is sent up in the form of vapor and then re-condensed when it gets up there, and that can’t be done unless the hose is heated. Either of these makes the hose impossibly heavy and stiff.
So, no, this is a non-starter, and there is no technology that can overcome this obstacle. The water has to be flown up to this altitude prior to dispersing it. That’s what we in the aviation industry call “an airplane”.
Hey, maybe this Algore guy is really smart – he’s flying around in his private jet spraying water vapor everywhere, lol!
Report Post »Orion the truth hunter
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 2:52pmI agree that the pressure to pump liquid to those heights would be a problem, but did they say they were pumping a liquid? They may plan to pump an aerosol. Or perhaps pump up water vapor, condense it, mix it with the sulfate (sent up in the balloon), and then disperse it. Of course this is a lot of work and expense to fix something that isn’t broken but it apparently makes them feel useful (as in useful idiots).
Report Post »Orion the truth hunter
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:11pmA slight clarification, I assumed that you were suggesting steam (and therefor needing a heated tube) while I was suggesting dew point water vapor (that would only need insulation). Still a dumb idea. I wonder how strong the mooring cables will need to be to withstand the winds at that altitude.
Report Post »JoeTheFarmer
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:26pmEver wonder how golf ball sized hail stones get miles up into the atmosphere?
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:29pmWhat goes up, must come down. Quit messing with nature. The so called scientists are going to kill off the planet. They will either create a black hole in the center of the earth trying to make dark matter, or they will poison the planet injecting chemicals into the atmosphere…What happens if it works too well and block the sun completely? religion is safer than science…
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:31pmWhy don’t they just pour water into an active valcanoe? The water would be vaporized at a high temperature and shot up into the atmosphere.
Wait, isn’t the EARTH already doing stuff like that?
Report Post »dnewton
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 4:25pmIt seems to me that every airport has been doing an experiment like this every day. The jet or piston engine fuel is turned into CO2 and water vapor every day and in amounts that could never be achieved by even the up-sized version of this proposal.
This is a lot cheaper than carbon credits, ending coal and power plant usage and everyone going back to being an ignoble savage. If this would be a pacifier for the eco-freaks, it might be worth it.
I agree that the 12 mile version would be problematic with respect to the freezing of the water on the way up. The 1 kilometer version could get iffy with respect to freezing in the hose too, depending upon where it was deployed.
As long as Al Queda does not set one up off the coast of California to test a few of their favorite theories on toxic fluids or gasses and the Brits are paying for it, I think it is just wasteful spending.
Report Post »The water volume that could be forced upward as a percentage of the total would be so small, It might end up in a very useful argument about exactly how much data would be needed to get a meaningful conclusion.
watchdog_jedi
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:38pmThe last time I checked, weren’t volcanic eruptions BAD for the Earth?
Report Post »Also, where is the environmentalist crowd that wants us to stop interfering with nature? This is a BIG interference, don’t you think?
connor_Tist
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:37pmGreat. A solution to a problem that doesn’t exist! The only thing better is if taxpayers had to pay for it!
Report Post »theamericanvision
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:47pmIt is better, it’s the British tax payers taking the shaft on this one! Well, until the US feels the need to give them stimulus funds to get this, “shovel-ready” project off the ground!
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:36pmTHE GREAT “GLOBAL WARMING HOAX”
The proposals to combat “GLOBAL WARMING” have more potential to destroy our freedom and prosperity than any issue since WORLD WAR II. The cost of energy is increased by all these proposals. Energy is contained in all the products used to sustain our lives.
These proposals will be devastating to the poor, where the cost of survival consumes all their income.
Do you realize that these proposals are to combat an issue that has not even been proven to exist?
AND YOU LAUGH AT DON QUIXOTE?
THESE PROPOSALS WILL ONLY ENHANCE THE POWER OF THE “PEERS.” “CAP AND TRADE WILL DESTROY YOUR WEALTH AND FREEDOM!!
BRACE YOURSELF, THOMAS PAINE, REJOICE YOU “PEERS” THE TYRANNY OF
Report Post »KING GEORGE III IS BEING RESTORED BUT UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!
http://commonsense21c.com/images/GLOBAL_WARMING_SCAM.jpg
mohavegreen
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:35pmGreen gas attack glalore brought to the public by Obamnation/Biden/Gore/Clinton/Immelt.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:34pmWhy is no one asking about the 17 mile underground HADRON COLLIDER? What has happened since they began this “project.” The earth didn’t implode but the changes in volcanoes and earthquakes are quite obvious! Does no one else think this type of experiment should STOP?
Report Post »http://premsingh.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Large-Hadron-Collider
scaldisnoel
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 8:18pmIf you the the Large Hadron Collider is responsible for seismic activity, you are nuttier than a fruitcake. Are you also a 9-11 Truther?
Report Post »scaldisnoel
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 8:26pmCorrection: “If you think…”
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:31pmYou can tell that this just might work, because “environmentalists” are passionately against it.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:29pm“Latest Idea to Stop Global Warming: Grab a Giant Balloon & 12 Miles of Garden Hose….”
And stick it up Al Gore’s arse…
Report Post »azjoannie
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:37pmGood one!
Report Post »4truth2all
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:55pmNeed more hose !
Report Post »burnteye86
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:28pmObviously the balloon will be powerful enough to lift the hose, but i wonder how much would 12 miles of hose would weigh?
Report Post »alaskajohn
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:52pmWhen filled with what?
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:53pm12,672 pounds or 5.75 tons.
Report Post »+ or -
obstin8
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 3:05pmWhat about the impact on the birds? Those poor things. Whales will probably get cut up by the ship and the smelt will be pushed up the hose and shot out into the air. The captain is probably a drunk and will run over the green peace boats trying to stop it. Al Gore will be the “head” driver and will need his private jet there with him. Is the ship big enough to handle landing a jet? The Hose manufacturer is powering his plant by solar power, right? Or was that the plant that just went bankrupt? Welding is accomplished by The Claw of Archimedes for the modifications to the ship. Power is accomplished by the same technology as the Nautilus (using the power of the ocean). All this green. God, I love people who dream, on drugs, and alcohol, and rainbows, and shrooms.
Report Post »Miss America
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:27pmWell, they’re doing more than Al Gore at this point.
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:26pmThese wackos are drunk on fraud. There is no man-made global warmng; it’s just a ruse to sell crap made by GE and get those fat *&^%’s like Gore even richer. Fraud, fraud, fraud. Lies, lies lies…
So sick of the idiots and they are not worth debating as they have no facts to draw upon. Losers, indeed.
Report Post »mrfunn
Posted on September 3, 2011 at 1:38pm.
NOW now
The Federal family may not like you writing like that about:
The religion of Gore
Report Post »