Can anything be done to prevent global climate change?

Answer 1

There are, in theory, several possible solutions to global climate change. Since climate change is, as far as we can determine, driven primarily by excess quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we can stop doing things (or do less of the things) which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. We could extract carbon dioxide from the air (which could be done by fractional distillation) and sequester it in some manner - possibly by some chemical synthesis process that would convert it into solid material, such as plastic. Alternatively we could try to reduce the amount of heat that arrives at the Earth's surface from the sun, either by placing reflective dust in the upper atmosphere, or by putting satellites in orbit which are designed to deflect sunlight or possibly to capture it for photoelectric power generation while simultaneously preventing it from reaching the Earth's surface. There may be other solutions as well, which some creative scientists might devise. The only problem with any of these solutions is that they are expensive. We can prevent climate change if we are willing to spend the money that it takes.