Proposal to the United States Congress:

On Global Warming

Introduction

As the world heads deeper into the twenty-first century, there is clear and compelling evidence that the environment of the planet Earth is changing due to the effects of man and the pollution he creates, a phenomenon known as “Global Warming,” or, more correctly, “Climate Change.” A consensus of leading scientists has determined not only that climate change exists, but that it poses a great threat to the existence of life as we know it. In the interest of humanity, as well as the planet over which we hold stewardship, I believe it is possible to harness the power of the Earth itself to reverse the destruction of the environment wrought by humans.

Background

Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, as industrialism spread throughout the world, the average global temperature skyrocketed, from an average temperature at or below 14º C. (57.2° F.) to 14.6º C. (58.3º F.). While this may seem insignificant, on a global scale there is a potential for catastrophic repercussions, including flooding, droughts, increased fire activity, more intense storms and a rise in the level of the world’s oceans. This last, alone, is capable of devastating coastal regions and major population centers from New York City to Sydney to Hong Kong.

One proposed solutions is the  Cap and Trade tax plan, in which a company or individual purchases “offsets” or “credits,” by which means the one party can buy from another the promise not to produce carbon emissions, in order that the first party can emit more than the governmentally-specified amount of emissions. Another, put forth by the president’s science advisor is the shooting of particulate matter into the upper atmosphere, creating a sort of reflective “shield” that would repel some of the sun’s rays, thereby lowering the amount of heat energy reaching the Earth. It is this concept I would like to expand upon.

Rather than shooting particulates into space, which runs a risk of lowering the planet’s temperature for too long a time period or by too great an amount, recent history has shown that there is a potential solution in the Earth, itself. Most recently, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, through the agency of sulfur dioxide and volcanic ash blown into the stratosphere, lowered the global temperature by about 0.5º C. (about 1º F.) for a period of about two years.

Historically, eruptions such as Krakatau (1883) and Tambora (1815) have caused major cooling, with the latter being responsible for the coldest year on record, the “Year Without a Summer.”

Solution

Volcanic eruptions are inevitable. Regardless of what attempts are made, there is no way to prevent an eruption. However, with the knowledge obtained over centuries of scientific observation, it is possible to determine which volcanoes have a high likelihood of eruption. Using this knowledge and the explosive and demolition expertise of the United States Military, I believe we can create an environmentally useful, relatively attenuated eruption.

In addition to the environmental benefits, creating an eruption allows much better control and prediction of the severity of the eruption, the area damaged by the eruption and for the orderly evacuation of citizens in the path of the various flows of lava, mud and rock that occur concurrent with the volcanic event.

The key to the process is the magma chamber, shown in the illustration below:

The magma in the chamber is under a great deal of pressure, sending out conduits through fractures in the rock above, through which the magma seeps toward the surface. My hypothesis is that by greatly increasing the pressure in the magma chamber, while at the same time providing prepared outlets for the release of that pressure, the volcano can be made to erupt in a controlled fashion, spewing ash and other particulate matter high into the stratosphere, thereby blocking some of the heat energy from the sun, reducing the global temperature for several years, after which the process can be repeated.

Process

By utilizing existing technology, the process can be done quickly and efficiently.

Using seismic and geologic readings already on file with the United States Geologic Survey (USGS), as well as radar and ultrasound of the sort typically used in an archaeological dig, the volcano with the most imminent eruption can be determined. Though a location in an isolated, uninhabited area would be preferred, for obvious reasons, with experience the ability to control an eruption in a more populated region would grow, saving billions to trillions in property damage, reconstruction and loss of life.

With the radar and ultrasound, geologists would be able to map the exact dimensions of the magma chamber, after which oil drilling technology would be put in place to drill numerous holes through the rock to a position of stability near the chamber itself, as shown below.

Once the wells are in place, the drilling equipment can be cleared away and the next phase of the operation can begin.

After the area is clear of drilling equipment, The United States Military would take over.

Rocket-propelled, bunker-busting bombs would be situated at the tops of each of the wells, pointing toward the bottoms. At the appropriate moment, the rockets will be launched downward, exploding into the magma chamber and creating a wave of pressure that will compress the magma into the bottom of the chamber.

The compression of magma creates a need for an outlet, causing a rebound outward, sending lava and rock to the surface and a plume of ash into the stratosphere.

Costs

The costs entailed in this project would not be excessive. Most of the equipment is already available with the USGS and their foreign counterparts, and bids would be taken for grants to the geology departments of major universities worldwide, who would see this as an opportunity for groundbreaking research. A few million dollars would go a long way on the current economic climate; an amount easily added to a Congressional Appropriations Bill, or as an amendment to unrelated legislation.

According to the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the cost of drilling a well for oil is currently less than three million per well. Since this project does not involve recovery of oil, the costs would certainly be substantially less.

As for military expenditures, the Army Corps of Engineers would be available for the project, at no extra cost to the taxpayer, and the bunker busting bomb, GBU-28, costs less than $150,000 per unit to acquire.

As the technology improves and the technique is refined, costs per eruption are likely to decline significantly.