3 ms·

Not sure what the "conspiracy" would be, but yeah, the sulfur reductions in ship emissions is definitely a factor. Someone needs to figure out large scale inje

Not sure what the "conspiracy" would be, but yeah, the sulfur reductions in ship emissions is definitely a factor. Someone needs to figure out large scale injection of SO2 to the stratosphere. Don't wait for permission, just do it!

SketchySeaBeast 3y ago
> Someone needs to figure out large scale injection of SO2 to the stratosphere. Don't wait for permission, just do it! I wonder if a hundred years ago someone said "Someone needs to introduce the cane toad to Australia to reduce the beetle population! Don't wait for permission, just do it!". Not the exact same thing, sure, but we are terrible at predicting side effects.
- BurningFrog 3y ago
  The effects of SO2 to the stratosphere are well known and understood, because volcanoes occasionally do just that. Without asking for permission.
  - SketchySeaBeast 3y ago
    In the same volumes and in the same way as we would be doing it?
    - consp 3y ago
      According to wikipedia (and it's source) vulcanoes are at about 1/10th compared to humans (as in, we dump it into the atmosphere 10 times as much) and wildfires about 1/25th compared to humans. Note: data from before 1995.
      - BurningFrog 3y ago
        What's interesting here is SO₂ in the stratosphere, not the general atmosphere.
    - BurningFrog 3y ago
      This article has more detail on how the 2001 Mount Pinatubo eruption lowered temperatures by 0.6°C : https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1510/global-effects-of-mount-pinatubo https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1510/global-effects... There are two mechanisms. 1. The SO₂ combines with water to form aerosol droplets which scatter and absorb incoming sunlight. 2. These droplets break down or drop to Earth over 1-2 years. Which means that if something unforeseen happens it will be gone pretty soon. Also, while SO₂ in the lower atmosphere causes acid rain, the stratosphere is above all that.
roomey 3y ago
This is literally just taken from a fiction book. It's a good book, I enjoyed it. But,it's just a story. Geo engineering should probably be done pretty carefully
- BurningFrog 3y ago
  The "just do it!" part is inspired by Stephenson, sure. I didn't realize before that that it's the kind of problem that you can actually just do, since there isn't a locked door to the stratosphere :) But the idea itself is much older, and AFAICT very safe. The only thing missing is a practical way to get millions of tonnes of SO2 to the stratosphere aside from burning dirty oil on the ground. These guys are supposedly working on it: https://makesunsets.com/ https://makesunsets.com/
rtpg 3y ago
I mean… “breathing in sulfur is bad for people’s health” is a documented issue right? Like the sulfur _is pollution_. That’s why we cared to get rid of it!
- BurningFrog 3y ago
  I'm talking about the stratosphere. If you're trying to breathe there, you have much bigger problems than inhaling SO2 :)

SketchySeaBeast 3y ago

> Someone needs to figure out large scale injection of SO2 to the stratosphere. Don't wait for permission, just do it! I wonder if a hundred years ago someone said "Someone needs to introduce the cane toad to Australia to reduce the beetle population! Don't wait for permission, just do it!". Not the exact same thing, sure, but we are terrible at predicting side effects.

BurningFrog 3y ago
The effects of SO2 to the stratosphere are well known and understood, because volcanoes occasionally do just that. Without asking for permission.
- SketchySeaBeast 3y ago
  In the same volumes and in the same way as we would be doing it?
  - consp 3y ago
    According to wikipedia (and it's source) vulcanoes are at about 1/10th compared to humans (as in, we dump it into the atmosphere 10 times as much) and wildfires about 1/25th compared to humans. Note: data from before 1995.
    - BurningFrog 3y ago
      What's interesting here is SO₂ in the stratosphere, not the general atmosphere.
  - BurningFrog 3y ago
    This article has more detail on how the 2001 Mount Pinatubo eruption lowered temperatures by 0.6°C : https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1510/global-effects-of-mount-pinatubo https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1510/global-effects... There are two mechanisms. 1. The SO₂ combines with water to form aerosol droplets which scatter and absorb incoming sunlight. 2. These droplets break down or drop to Earth over 1-2 years. Which means that if something unforeseen happens it will be gone pretty soon. Also, while SO₂ in the lower atmosphere causes acid rain, the stratosphere is above all that.

roomey 3y ago

This is literally just taken from a fiction book. It's a good book, I enjoyed it. But,it's just a story. Geo engineering should probably be done pretty carefully

BurningFrog 3y ago
The "just do it!" part is inspired by Stephenson, sure. I didn't realize before that that it's the kind of problem that you can actually just do, since there isn't a locked door to the stratosphere :) But the idea itself is much older, and AFAICT very safe. The only thing missing is a practical way to get millions of tonnes of SO2 to the stratosphere aside from burning dirty oil on the ground. These guys are supposedly working on it: https://makesunsets.com/ https://makesunsets.com/

rtpg 3y ago

I mean… “breathing in sulfur is bad for people’s health” is a documented issue right? Like the sulfur _is pollution_. That’s why we cared to get rid of it!

BurningFrog 3y ago
I'm talking about the stratosphere. If you're trying to breathe there, you have much bigger problems than inhaling SO2 :)