Planetary engineering
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Planetary engineering is the application of technology for the purpose of influencing the global properties of a planet.[1] The goal of this theoretical task is usually to make other worlds habitable for life.
Perhaps the best-known type of planetary engineering is terraforming, by which a planet's surface conditions are altered to be more like those of Earth. Other terms used for particular types of planetary engineering include caeliforming for the creation of an Earth-like atmosphere and ecopoiesis for the introduction of an ecology to a lifeless environment. Planetary engineering is largely the realm of science fiction at present, although some types of climate change on Earth could be considered a form of "geoengineering".
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[edit] Terraforming
[edit] Geoengineering
Geoengineering is the deliberate modification of Earth's environment on a large scale "to suit human needs and promote habitability". [2]
With a growing human population and the spread of technology, geoengineering has become more observable. The industrial revolution has enabled humanity to alter between one-third and one-half of the Earth's surface. In turn, atmospheric CO2 has increased by 30 percent over the last two centuries. More atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by humanity than by all natural terrestrial sources combined. And, more than half of all accessible surface fresh water is put to use by humanity.[3] According to most climate models, climate change may result in altered precipitation patterns and the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather around the world.[4] Records indicate that surface temperatures have risen by more than half a degree Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit) within the last 50 years. Sea surface temperatures (SST) have also risen during the last 30 years by a comparable amount.[5]
Currently a great deal of political debate takes place over the notion that human civilization has already inadvertently modified Earth's climate through the industrial emission of greenhouse gases and proposals have been made to counter any such effects through further deliberate geoengineering. For example, some have proposed to put large mirrors in orbit which would modify the insolation received by Earth - either increasing or decreasing it, as the need arises. Other examples which have been seriously considered include: large-scale sequestration of CO2 inside geological formations or ocean sediment, the modification of Earth's albedo with reflective or absorbtive materials spread over portions of its surface, the alteration of rainfall patterns through the creation of artificial seas, and the depositing of iron in the ocean to encourage algae growth.
[edit] Politics of geoengineering
Geoengineering could also be used by a political entity to alter the regional or global climate. States adversely affected by global warming might attempt geoengineering to save their own agricultural production or ecological diversity, regardless of the effect on others. If these actions created an ice age or had other unpredictable consequences, it is not inconceivable that they could lead to war. If climate change remains a salient issue, international law may attempt to ban or regulate geoengineering.
[edit] References
- ^ Fogg, Martyn J. (1995). Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Environments. Warrendale, PA: SAE International.
- ^ "a controversial field known as geoengineering, which means rearranging the earth's environment on a large scale to suit human needs and promote habitability" How to Cool a Planet (Maybe) New York Times - June 27, 2006}}
- ^ Vitousek, P.M., Mooney, H.A., Lubchenco, J., Melillo, J.M. (1997). "Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems". Science 277: 5325.
- ^ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved on 2006-05-26.
- ^ Sheppard, C. R., Spalding M., Bradshaw C., Wilson S. (Feb 2002). "Erosion vs. recovery of coral reefs after 1998 El Niño: Chagos reefs, Indian Ocean". Ambio 31 (1): 40-8.
