This is my favorite kind of climate change story: one that acknowledges the severity of the problem, and responds with solutions of the same scope. Over at Infrastructurist, they have coverage of a UK initiative to come up with 20 bold ideas for "saving the world." These include:2. A giant Artificial Stomach That Eats SeaweedStep One: Grow lots of kelp near the surface of the ocean. Step Two: Harvest it and "digest" it in a giant plastic "stomach." The giant green mass gives off lots of gas - the CO2 could be siphoned off and put in some dark place and the methane could be used for powering humanity's myriad doohickeys and gadgets. So it's a twofer, removing carbon from the atmosphere and creating an energy source.9. Huge Solar Farms in the SaharaA relatively small piece of the Sahara could theoretically provide electricity for the entire planet if it were covered in solar thermal mirrors. Plus think of all those jobs to build a solar plant the size of Britain.13. Chuck The Goal Of Economic Growth Out the WindowBeyond a certain point, GNP doesn't really correspond with human satisfaction and the idea that a economy can grow forever is probably just dump. To illustrate: Under present rules, the jackass who takes high speed joyrides in his Hummer is a more valuable economic citizen than the person who commutes to work on a bike (all else being equal).Some, as you can see, are more practical than others. But this is the kind of thinking we need. The disappointing discussion coming out of the G8 on the subject of climate change was not encouraging, and who knows what Cop15 is going to bring. So I'm glad someone is putting creativity and audacity on the table.Photo (cc) by Flickr user Edward Dullard.
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