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I wonder if one day we'll figure a way to trigger a massive volcanic eruption (in an unpopulated area) as a way to fight climate change.
by insane_dreamer 2y ago
I wonder if one day we'll figure a way to trigger a massive volcanic eruption (in an unpopulated area) as a way to fight climate change.
- bobthepanda 2y agoKrakatoa and Mount Tambora led to measurable famine, so it's probably not a good idea.
- criddell 2y agoClimate change also leads to famine. Which is worse?
- bobthepanda 2y agoMount Tambora's eruption resulted in "the year without a summer", where most of the Northern Hemisphere had deep snows into June and all the crops froze with massive, rapid dieoffs of livestock. Climate change is definitely bad, but not quite as dramatic in as short a time. People make fun of the Day After Tomorrow for trivializing climate change, but the Mount Tambora eruption resulted in very fast, rapid changes worldwide. And it seems foolish to think we would be any good at controlling the strength of a volcanic eruption.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoYeah, but global temps have climbed ~1.5 degrees since then, so lowering them by 0.5 degrees wouldn't have the same effect (crops freezing) as it did back then. But if it's just a temporary fix for one year, then it's probably a bad idea.
- bobthepanda 2y agoA sudden drop is pretty bad. Plants have tight tolerances and farmers purchase seeds based on expected conditions, not a hypothetical where some rogue country is triggering a volcanic eruption. It’s entirely possible that people plant the wrong crops, a volcanic eruption is triggered, and we see crop failures due to how optimized modern farming is.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoFair point. If such drastic action was ever contemplated it would have to be planned out in advance so that farming could adapt that year to expected shifts. But there will come a tipping point at which time we'll consider drastic measures that society would not otherwise tolerate. Look at Covid for a recent example.
- ffgjgf1 2y agoPresumably that would result in massive amounts of air pollution (much of it probably heavily localized) which would be pretty awful.
- tzs 2y agoThe people capable of financing such a project are the kind of people who would think "I'm not going to waste this massive eruption on an unpopulated area".
- throwup238 2y agoThe next country testing their nuclear weapons will just have to do it in a caldera. Does Iran have a volcano? What could possibly go wrong?