3 stupidest global warming solutions of the year

6 years ago Art & Design

As well as providing the stupidest global warming solutions, we have also decided to include a list of global warming's deadliest effects.

#3 Offseting The environmental equivalent of buying indulgences or paying for penance, offsetting is a misleading beast. Here’s why:

Ofsetting by environmental graffiti

• It is used to shift the emphasis onto others, who would never produce the equivalent carbon footprint.

• It’s unregulated – you might be funding “carbon cowboys”

• It relieves you of feeling guilty, without actually making a difference, but hey we’ve all done it!

#2 Steorn’s Orbo

A bit of background is needed. Environmental Graffiti reported how last year, Steorn, an Irish technology company made the claim that they developed a free energy technology. In August of 2006, Steorn placed an ad in the Economist to attract the world’s leading scientists to try and disprove their technology. Several thousand scientists stepped up to the plate, yet only 22 scientists were chosen to prove its claims wrong.

However, at the first planned live viewing the supposed free and clean energy machine failed to work. Pretty lame, almost as bad as their name!

#1 Mimicking a volcanic eruption a.k.a. Chucking mounds of sulphur into the atmosphere

The idea is so crazy, that initially we thought it was a hoax, concocted in some watering hole, somewhere. However, we discovered the controversial theory in the National Geographic.

Volcano by environmental graffiti

The idea is to pump particles of sulfur high into the atmosphere—simulating the effect of a massive volcano by blocking out some of the sun's rays and is idiotic for two main reasons:

• As well as reducing rainfall, the particles would cause a global drought aka environmental disaster!

• It would make the world smell of rotten eggs and look like the Matrix – yuk!

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Comments

Old Comments

K. Branker says

Jun 12th, 2009 at 12am
Its really good to realise what isn't really helping. On another note, we should recognise those things that can be changed to reduce greenhouse gases. On a policy level, there is alot that governments and electricity producers can do. In the US, it is suggested that the unavoidable customer charges in the electrical billing system are a barrier to electrical conservation and green house gas mitigation. The customer charge is fixed and is independent of the actual electricity consumption used. In trying to maximize their benefit from the unavoidable fixed customer charge, smaller electricity users are inclined to conserve less. The paper referenced explains the policy requirements and the change in the electrical rate required, along with its impacts. The results indicate that removing the fixed charges and increasing the electrical rate can be economical for the US, the electrical companies and the households and environmentally beneficial. The increased rate penalizes smaller users less and encourages smaller and larger users alike to conserve responsibly. For more on this, see this article: J. M. Pearce and Paul J. Harris, "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by inducing energy conservation and distributed generation from elimination of electric utility customer charges", Energy Policy, 35, pp. 6514-6525, 2007.[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V2W-4R008R9-2/2/1e692cc89cae024a6a4492e736848941]

sally says

Mar 29th, 2009 at 12am
You should take a look at this. These guys seem to have found a Global Warming Solutions

Pierre Champagne says

Dec 19th, 2008 at 12am
People interested in real solutions for global warming should check out the following book: The 21st Century Environmental Revolution: A Comprehensive Strategy for Conservation, Global Warming, and the Environment. By Mark C. Henderson. It argues that large-scale solutions are our best hope for addressing issues such as climate change and outlines one such approach. The author believes that it could address many environmental issues (climate change, carbon emissions, sustainability, contaminants, conservation, biofuels & renewable energy, etc.) at very little expense. The approach is based on market forces and environmental taxation. There is a lot of information at the publisher's website: Waves of the Future Website: http://wavesofthefuture.net Tags: global warming, environmental taxation

Pierre Champagne says

Dec 19th, 2008 at 12am
PS. Henderson's book (The 21st Century Environmental Revolution: A Comprehensive Strategy for Conservation, Global Warming, and the Environment) has just received a positive review from David McCorquodale, co-chair of Green Pages, the US Green Party quarterly (http://www.gp.org/greenpages/index.php). It is a the publisher's website: http://wavesofthefuture.net Tags: global warming solution, eco-taxation strategies

aaron says

Nov 21st, 2008 at 12am
lol the matrix

nisha says

Apr 30th, 2008 at 12am
it's realy very bad for us because by this all ice will melt and that's not good for us

Daniel Donatelli says

Apr 26th, 2008 at 12am
+++TAKE ALL THE OIL OUT of Gaia++ or the motor and the heating and cooling complexities of the internal motor’s now empty cavities will change and spread the heat to new unforgiving surfaces causing collapse and flexing and swelling of the normally safe consistent, ore made structure , thus effecting the surrounding motors water flows. Water and core Temperatures spike in spots with fast or slow motor rotation in unexpected areas due to cavity or thickness of spaces or water cycle inside water system due to season(climate) out side of motor(in that area). -speed up motor with no oil to cool faster? Or slow it down!! And add more oil. Some body should REALLY Look at ground temperatures in the depleted oil areas and think maybe it is hot water there because there not oil there in addition to the normal equator heat. Maybe oil was formed there because it is a hot spot naturally . Maybe planet will cool around the same time oil reforms there again??? should we pump it out again at that time? Kind of funny that the water in those areas is hot now and in adjacent areas the heat is up all compounding the tempreture in the the cab as the 2nd dary systems fail from the spikes in heat? We are looking at the water and saying speed it up!!to cool it , put more air on it make it more effcient water!! as coolant (algae) Better put oil back I think. Not take away cold water or put cold water on faster cycle that is now on slow cycle ???? or heat will go up and seconday system will worsen! Example Pump gas out of Indonesian shelf and it collapses making things out of balance across whole region. No way to fix now better pump rest out? of remaining shelf? Think put oil back in!! Cool Again!! hot Water spikes go away with slower revs And oil back in not faster with no oil in it just compounds to blow the radiator or soft point like the hose then blow the engine. Then she’s all stopped for good. 4 sure this Gaia motor needs a good mechanic!! May even need heavier oil than before to reduce heat! Dan I would like all seeking a solution out there to circulate this to every one of any importance on presenting it as one more thing we should be doing and looking at!!!!!! P.S We are all stressing out about methan releases , what happens when all the co2 gas they are pumping into oil cavities to stablize cardon credits comes back out in one day after pumping it down there for 20 years from now!!!!!!!! thats when you get a surprize!!boom gas instead of oil in hotspot@!!! read forever Mb + 66 89 909 3178

Jose Reyes says

Mar 28th, 2008 at 12am
I fully enjoyed reading your article and look forward to future articles! However I feel that Global Warming is not as serious as everyone is making it seems. Change can be good

steph says

Aug 23rd, 2007 at 12am
At the risk of sound blindingly obvious a possible solution could be: - That everybody take responsibility for the environment in everything they do, both work and play. - That they make sure the politicians remember who they represent (I mean the people, not the well funded special interest groups) when forming policy. - That they take into account the environmental effect of products they choose to buy and dispose of (in addition to form, function and value for money). - That there isn't a quick fix involving off-setting guilt, new preocesses, etc. - That it start with educating kids and adults to make the better decision for the future. - That the fix involves work for everybody. - That if we all share the work now, there's less work/pain/disater in the future It's like dieting on a global scale. The most successfuly strategy is to use up more calories than you consume yet it seems it's human nature to try shortcuts (which as best are temporary) it involves real effort, determination and for many people an almost painful denial of things they love. Real succesful dieters change their lives. Thus cakes = gas guzzling V8 SUV for mom to pick up her only child at school when a smaller hybrid car would do just as well and probably be safer and cheaper (though not taller or bigger) sweets = tungsten light bulbs when florescent ones last 10 times longer, use 15% of the energy. fat laden steaks = switch lights off when you don't need them. corn syrup laden drinks = water heaters with tanks when tankless heaters have been around and used in other countries for years. For small families they're perfect and very very efficient mainly because you're not keeping 50 gallons of water hot 24 hours a day which is clearly a bad strategy [you might as well run a tap 24 hours in case you want some water] fried foods = walk, don't drive, when something is only half a mile away. cookies = more trees...why are american cities cutting down trees? and on and on... these are only small changes and hardly effect a life in the grand scheme of things (in fact many lead to lower costs leaving more money to go and visit some national parks ;) yet multiplied across populations and magnified by internationl policy and industrial optimizations can have a significant difference in all environmental areas not just carbon emmissions like reduced waste, reduced enegy usage, reduced manufacutring materials etc. @bowened: many, especially those outside America, see him as helping to educate one of the most resistive countries on the planet when it comes to policy and personal consumption choices. His popularity showed that many people in the US at the very least understand that the environment is an issue that needs addressing. A split second before his film hit some of those people didn't think twice about the environment. Awareness is what he's brought in bucket loads, whether you like him or not.

bob099 says

Aug 22nd, 2007 at 12am
Yeah, that volcano one sounds like a real winner, acid rain anyone.