Cutting Back on Carbon Dioxide

    The average global temperature in 1998 was a record high of 14.4 ⁰C (Goddard Institute of Space Studies).  When the finger pointing was over, all eyes were focused on carbon dioxide.  Many solutions to the carbon dioxide problem have been proposed recently.  A research group at LSU suggests carbon dioxide fixation by microalgae.  Their estimates show that microalgae could remove 1 ton/year of carbon dioxide.  At a 100 year life, the net cost would be a mere $2.00 per ton of carbon dioxide!  Statoil (a state owned company in Norway) suggested injecting excess carbon dioxide to deep ocean locations.  Under high pressures, carbon dioxides forms stable hydrates.  Many researchers have been investigating ways of utilizing carbon dioxide as a chief reactant in industrial chemistry.
    My favorite idea for decreasing carbon dioxide levels comes from 90 year old engineer Edward Teller of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.  Mr. Teller's approach to the problem is truly unique.  He suggests that rather than cutting carbon dioxide emissions, it would be more cost effective to reduce the amount of sunlight entering the atmosphere by scattering the sun's rays.  Fine metallic nets deployed in the stratosphere should do the trick according to Mr. Teller.  This would help slow or even stop global warming.  This idea was my favorite due to its originality not necessarily its practicality.  We made this mess, so let's clean it up!