Questions tagged [climate-change]
For questions about planetary climate change.
5
votes
2answers
108 views
Reducing atmospheric pressure on Snowball Earth
A Snowball Earth is a global condition (which may have occurred many times) in which the temperature everywhere on the surface was, for extended periods (up to tens of millions of years), below the ...
43
votes
27answers
13k views
How could a time traveler have prevented climate change [on hold]
Let's say a Moon colonist in the future has discovered an alien time machine. A small remnant of humanity still exists on colony worlds in the solar system, but due to runaway climate change, they are ...
4
votes
3answers
189 views
How large can a magical cold region be before it dramatically alters global climate?
In the setting I'm working on, I want to have a vast 'sea' of diamond dust that is sustained by some kind of chilling magic effect that's spread across the surface of the land.
Since magic is ...
7
votes
3answers
185 views
Can black algae promote a global warming on a cold planet?
My world is at the outer edge of the habitable zone. There is enough heat and geological activity to start life, but a snowball earth is looming and threatens to freeze it all. There is some spring ...
7
votes
3answers
155 views
Plausible futuristic infrastructure for an underwater micronation built 300-500 feet below the surface
My story takes place hundreds of years in the future after global warming has made life at the surface uninhabitable for most life forms. What’s left of mankind survived because it became popular to ...
5
votes
4answers
128 views
How might a naturally-occuring geographical barrier between two areas *suddenly* become permeable so that a few people can cross it?
The world is Earth, probably west coast of the USA, in the throes of severe climate disaster; major storms, earthquakes, droughts, fires and floods are the norm.
I am looking for a way to suddenly ...
6
votes
4answers
725 views
Can satellites decrease global warming?
An island nation has a lot of coastal territory and has become gravely concerned about the threat of global warming. They've decided to fix this by launching reflective satellites into orbit -- ...
1
vote
4answers
452 views
Would moving Earth around solve the rise in global temperature problem? [duplicate]
Without worrying about the other issues of global warming like rise in CO$_2$ level, hole in ozone..etc, lets assume that we're facing with rise of global temperature. And assume there's an efficient ...
3
votes
3answers
193 views
Could a comet cool down global tempatures? [duplicate]
In warlords I wanted Terrans to have a fad of big (synthetic) fur jackets, but I didn't want too have everyone running around in winter clothing for no good reason so the solution my mind instantly ...
5
votes
2answers
159 views
Would the melting of ice islands affect the weather across the seas?
I've studied a little about glacial melting and temperature changes in sea currents and worldwide. I couldn't find any definitive answer and since I'm no expert on this matter I'm a bit confused.
The ...
3
votes
2answers
59 views
Opaque Solar Shield in Geosynchronous Orbit: Plausibility + Challenges of Maintaining Orbit
Suppose humans of the late 21st century or beyond began constructing a solar shield as a solution to climate change. Suppose for some reason (open to suggestions) they choose to build the shield in ...
5
votes
3answers
179 views
What would happen to the climate if Earth's sea-levels rose 2000m?
This is the first of possibly several posts about the following scenario, in which Earth's sea-level rises 2 km overnight, generating a world map looking like this:
Question: What would be the ...
5
votes
1answer
120 views
What might the political climate in the United States look like in twenty or thirty years? [closed]
I wrote a speculative science fiction novel in 2014, and last week I met a copy editor who suggested that I do some digging to find out how the society in which my character would be integrated would ...
3
votes
2answers
185 views
What might India look like in 2070 in terms of climate change? [closed]
In terms of climate change, what are some reasonable / speculative scenarios for the Indian sub-continent in the general timespan of 2070 - 2100? Hotter patches? Flooded areas?
I am basically looking ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
What would happen to Earth's climate and sky if the ozone layer was completely distroyed? [closed]
It would be very interesting to have sci-fi stuff showing our planet lacking the ozone layer due to deterioration of biodiversity and pollution.
I read that Earth could not have life if there wasn't ...
-3
votes
1answer
81 views
Could the city of Boston, Mass avoid rising sea levels by building levees? [closed]
I have seen similar proposals to deal with potential sea level rises in New York City, which would work by constructing levees around the east river and the barrier islands surrounding Staten and Long ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views
What are some of the global impacts of technologically converting desert biomes into grasslands? [closed]
As per the Koppen climate model, for the purposes of this question deserts are dry, non-polar climates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_climate
At a hypothetical time in near future, the human ...
0
votes
2answers
90 views
What would the consequences of a longer glacial period be for modern Earth? [closed]
How would a generally colder climate effect the growth of horse-nomad cultures out of the Eurasian Steppe?
Could similar cultures have simply developed further south, or would it have put a hold on ...
1
vote
0answers
88 views
What would be the effect of gas giant was turned into a sun on a planet with no axial tilt [closed]
Scenario: A star system with multiple planets, in particular a habitable planet which has no axial tilt such as this, and the next planet out being a gas giant.
The gas giant is ignited using a ...
6
votes
1answer
222 views
Underground cities in a Glacial Climate Transition?
My story is based on a Glacial Climate setting or an Ice Age. However the transition is gradual and humanity was given some time to adapt. The transition began in our real-world technological ...
1
vote
2answers
158 views
Destroying an earth-like planet with a green-house
Due to global warming, Earth has become uninhabitable. The rich left off to colonize 'New Earth' while everyone else is left behind.
For whatever reason, the people left behind have survived, but out ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
If there were giant irregular mirrors above cities that would reflect sunlight, would that heat the atmosphere and cause global warming? [closed]
Or would the heat dissipate back into space? For my world building purposes, I need it to cause global warming, I just don't really know if it would work. Maybe the cities would need to be bigger then ...
1
vote
1answer
105 views
How much sunlight would I need to block to stop / reverse climate change?
Using this handy dandy graph, I estimate that by the time climate change forces a response we will need to reverse 2° Celsius of heating.
The method for temperature control is described in here - a ...
21
votes
8answers
5k views
How big would a satellite need to be to block out the sun?
I have a story idea that involves a human attempt to halt and reverse global climate change. The idea is a simple one - a satellite that partially blocks out the sun. The satellite is located at the ...
8
votes
4answers
441 views
What kind of natural disaster could create a permanent, global cloud cover?
“Permanent” here meaning “significant over geological timespans”, so it would have to last at least 10,000 years and produce a thick enough layer of clouds that it would cover the entire planet in an ...
1
vote
4answers
246 views
How to make all ice caps melt before the end of 21th century
Sorry for any bad English
In order to give a reason for humanity to get out of Earth or hide in their floating city shelter, what is the best way to rise up sea level fast and furiously? I am ...
3
votes
3answers
208 views
Climate Change after a Sudden Drop in Emissions
Suppose we have a world that saw a sudden collapse of civilization, not so violent that humans are suddenly struggling to survive but severe enough to cause humans to revert to a mix of city-state, ...
5
votes
7answers
2k views
The possibility and possible backlash of a thruster large enough to move a planet
Inspired from the game "Planetary Annihilation" a Halley Delta V Engine is a engine built in the ground that is big enough to move the planet when used. This can be used for two things in my mind. War,...
-4
votes
1answer
112 views
Would it be possible to see large satellites in the sky through the smog in 2145? [closed]
If it's around 2145, given the current rate of climate change (and atmosphereic pollution build-up), would it be possible to see large satellites in the sky? Or would they be completely obscured by ...
2
votes
4answers
280 views
Is it possible to have (near future) satellites that appear to rise and set like the sun and moon?
And if I wanted them to appear about 10 times the size of the sun and moon, would this be possible? Should they lie inside LEO or beyond it? I would like their orbit to be considerably closer than ...
5
votes
2answers
196 views
Antarctic Climate on Greenhouse Earth
Scenario: Say we have a massive release of greenhouse gases into Earth's atmosphere, however much for the ocean around Antarctica to get just warm enough for hurricanes to form during the summer (28.5 ...
8
votes
1answer
123 views
Maintain atmosphere on moon using global warming
So, a neat thing, depending on how you look at it, about greenhouse gases is that while it's causing a raise in temperature near the surface it actually makes the upper parts of the atmosphere ...
18
votes
6answers
3k views
What measures might an ancient civilization take to protect itself from extreme heat?
An ancient human like civilization exists on a planet like our own but warmer, with more deserts and smaller oceans. Climate change is forcing the daytime temperature slowly upwards. What measures ...
6
votes
1answer
190 views
Could an earthquake alter weather over the long term, and therefore climate?
I live in Cape Town, South Africa where it is a very real possibility that not a single drop of water will be left in our dams come March 2018.
THIS is a news article that suggests that at a ...
2
votes
3answers
502 views
Do hurricanes reduce the thermal energy of the water they pass over, and if so by how much? [closed]
This question suggests a theoretical possibility that hurricanes may be disrupted by removing heat from the system.
My question concerns the natural passage of a hurricane. Ocean water is warmer ...
0
votes
1answer
163 views
What sort of animals would inhabit my world?
This world takes place in the remains of the Eastern United States, devastated by 3000 years of neglect and climate change. The Mississipi river is pretty much a gulf now, which has caused everything ...
4
votes
3answers
471 views
What kind of Ice Age would cause an apocalypse?
It's 2070, global warming is a terrifying reality. Coastal cities such as New York and Shanghai has already fallen to rising sea levels and extreme weather. In an effort to stem and perhaps counteract ...
1
vote
2answers
185 views
Could a motorcycle cause enough pollution to harm a world?
Would it be possible for a single motorcycle to harm a world so much that it would cause significant change?
Conditions:
Unlimited Amount Of Time
The Planet Is Not Earth (No other cars, factory or ...
38
votes
6answers
11k views
What if a portal is opened from the Mariana trench to the Sahara desert?
The first portal is placed at bottom-most point of the Mariana trench (the deepest part of any ocean, located in the western Pacific Ocean) and the second is placed in the Sahara desert in Africa at ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
How many “years without a summer” can society survive?
In 1815 Mount Tambora erupted throwing so much dust into the atmosphere that the year became known as "the year without a summer". *There were a few other mitigating factors but Tambora is thought to ...
5
votes
4answers
340 views
Increasing Earth's orbital radius to stop global warming
Followup from Dropping ice in the ocean to stop global warming as promised.
In the Futurama episode "Crimes of the Hot", All earth robots fire their engines at the same time at the Galapagos islands. ...
-3
votes
1answer
150 views
Can we reverse the effects of Global Warming? [closed]
The base of this question is: Are there currently any technology countermeasures in effect or under development to counter the effects of man-made global warming? (I do not know if there are, or how ...
3
votes
4answers
632 views
Nuking all the ice
I've been trying to envision a scenario where global warming is accelerated to the fasted possible speed.
One scenario I thought of was detonating large scale nuclear warheads on the North and South ...
34
votes
17answers
10k views
Dropping ice in the ocean to stop global warming
In the TV show Futurama, an in-show infomercial mentions that Earthicans started dropping giant ice cubes in the ocean to slow down global warming. Now, Futurama is a show where science is a mixed bag:...
0
votes
1answer
90 views
Can Global warming be counteracted by building a plant which creates Cirrus Clouds?
The Idea is to move large amounts of water vapor high into the Troposphere, thereby blocking some of the sun's intensity.
Factors that contribute the Earth's solar heat gain include reflectivity/...
2
votes
3answers
134 views
What is the quickest way to perfect global warming?
The second terrestrial planet orbiting the Sun is shrouded in greenhouse gases, the entire surface of Venus is always scorching hot due to the high concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide which ...
1
vote
3answers
218 views
Would we solve oceans rising problem by destoying the Moon?
Sea levels are rising due to global warming. The Moon brings tides that also rise the sea level. If we destroyed the moon could this problem be solved? Would it have other consequences?
0
votes
3answers
114 views
Complete cloud coverage for 300 years
What would the weather conditions be like if earth was covered in a layer of clouds and pollution for 300+ years? there is still light in the day but it is minimal and the nights are pitch black.
...
3
votes
3answers
285 views
A giant steel rod hanging from moon with its other end in atmosphere
Assume there is a giant steel (or any metal with good thermal conductivity coefficient) rod hanging from moon with its other end in atmosphere (say 5KM above sea level).
1.) Being the other end of ...
0
votes
4answers
216 views
From where will Santa deliver after North Pole melts?
I know that Global Warming is controversial topic, so for scope of this question please accept below statements as facts. (And if you have hard time accepting them, just assume alternate Earth):
By ...
