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Alex Sosic
29th April 2021, 19:32
Hi everyone

I'm new member here.
Few years ago I had some time and was thinking what can be done to balance CO2 emissions on planet generally, for a bit.
Human habits are very hard to change so all ideas that involved that I discarded.

My first thought was what if some of huge world desert were covered with forests or any other plants.
Nobody has big interest in those deserts so there would be no big obstacles; except water.
Simple thought of using sea water seemed most realistic.
Using sun energy and evaporation and condensation process
perhaps something can be done even on such large scale.

I started checking out on internet what already has be done.
One of the ideas that caught my attention was something called Waterboxx, by Dutch man name Peter.
Can be found on YouTube.
It's plastic container filled with fresh water with plant in the middle.
Seems it's been proven that small tree plants can survive in harsh desert conditions with relatively small amount of water.

I'll make it short: I think its not hard to make something that looks like Waterboxx( with few small changes in design), but instead uses sea water.
Mass production of that plastic container is rather cheap, sea water and heat from sun is in abundance. I really don't see limits in implementing that idea.
Not that would impact concentration of CO2, but would also help with food problem in the world.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Dave Schwartz
30th April 2021, 09:24
Geo-engineering on a massive scale... what could go wrong?

I've heard that a huge amount of the fertilization of the Amazon rain forest actually arrives via a few massive annual dust storms from the Sahara. Apparently, most of the Sahara is actually composed of ground-up diatoms and is thus just desiccated diatomaceous earth and a good source of natural fertilizer. What will happen if you shut this off?

Rob Beckers
1st May 2021, 06:37
Why turn the deserts into forests and fight an uphill battle at all, when this planet already has perfectly good habitat for growing forests and encapsulating carbon? The only change needed would be to convince those cutting the tropical rain forests (and temperate forests) to stop doing so, and let nature take its course again.

Surely easier than trying to green up the deserts...

-RoB-

Alex Sosic
3rd May 2021, 18:09
I don't believe in human interference in nature's processes,as well.
Damage is already done. Geo engineering on massive scale
started long time ago and continues stronger than ever, with every new building, factory or street.

Human needs,greed and habits harder to change
than desert that no one has interest in, by far; my opinion
only,so I won't argue on that.

I heard that Sahara is natural fertilizer for Amazon forest.
Also I heard that plants enrich desert soil by collecting minerals
from air.
In a way this is way of letting nature heal itself.
(I would rather see that then some man made filters or fans reaching Moon)
Definitely there would be some changes and
consequences to it.

So just let it go till change comes from within us?
I can agree with that.

Dave Schwartz
4th May 2021, 12:05
Earth will carry on. It may just have to shake off its current (human) infection and try again with a wiser species.