When you buy through tie on our site , we may earn an affiliate military commission . Here ’s how it works .
In the fight against climate modification scientists have fabricate some weird and wondrous ways to cut greenhouse gases , stop glacier melt and shade the powerful rays of the sun to quash the planet ’s aerofoil temperature . The future of Earth relies on humankind ’s ability to check our reliance on fossil fuels — and ultimately use few instinctive resourcefulness .
Here are 32 of the unearthly way scientists have suggested to battle mood change .
Artificial volcanoes
To slow global thaw , scientists have proposed creating artificial vent to forge an enormous " heat shield " that thin Earth ’s temperature . The " Pinatubo strategy " involves launch blue jet into the stratosphere that release sulfur compounds , which muse sunlight aside from the Earth — mimicking the natural impingement on the air as a volcanic eruption .
In 2011 , as part of the three - yr Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering ( SPICE ) undertaking , scientists from the U.K. used a jumbo pipe and balloon in a field experimentation that injected particles into the stratosphere to generate cooling .
Wrap Greenland in a reflective blanket
scientist have explored wrapping Greenland in a massive , reflective cover to slow down the rate of glacier melt . In 2009 , climate scientist Ken Caldeira at the Carnegie Institution for Science suggested that chew over sun away from various regions — mostly in the Arctic — could melt off the warming gist and glacier melt .
In the Discovery serial publication " Ways To salve The Planet " which air in 2009 , scientists led by glaciologist Jason Box exercise reflective , white polypropene cover to cover glaciers and test the theory .
Feed livestock garlic
Livestock is the globe ’s largest producer of methane — a risky greenhouse gas that lend to global heating and more than1 million premature human deathsannually . slim agriculture - bear on methane emissions , which are triggered by the release of gasolene by fart and burping , is key to fighting clime modification , consort to areportby the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) andClimate and Clean Air Coalition .
Scientists have found that feed in stock garlic , which contains bioactive organosulfur compounds , cutsmethane emissionsand produceshealth benefitsfor consumers of sum and dairy farm Cartesian product from the livestock .
Artificial trees that remove CO2 from the air
Planting timberland of artificial trees that contain layers of carbon dioxide - suck discs could fight mood modification on a global scale , accord to scientists from Arizona State University ( ASU ) . The mechanical trees utilize carbon - capture technology , and canreportedlycapture CO2 a thousand times warm than raw trees . educate by Klaus Lackner , physicist and theater director of Center of Negative Carbon Emissions , the first mechanical tree was installed on theASU campus in 2022 .
Force-feed plankton blooms
Phytoplankton , a microscopic industrial plant that float in the sea , provides food for nautical life history , give rise oxygen , suck up carbon copy dioxide and unloosen atomic number 8 into the atmosphere . Pollution from agriculture and industriousness can cause huge blossom of plankton to form . scientist trust that by fertilizing the deep ocean with iron , they can have immense wrapping of plankton to bloom and engross excess CO2 . This method acting was report byThe Timesin 2019 but remains a controversial approach to fighting clime change .
Fake whale poop
scientist want to increase the volume of glasshouse gas emissions that the ocean captures by create artificial hulk feces using atomic number 26 - rich sand or volcanic ash . Whales naturally defecate atomic number 26 - plentiful low-down on the ocean ’s surface that causes huge blooms of phytoplankton to form , which give fish and capture carbon paper .
Professor Sir David King , chair of Cambridge University ’s Centre for Climate Repair and lead of the phoney excretion project , hope that these plankton blooms could capture 50 % of the world ’s greenhouse gas discharge .
Giant snow cannons to blast glaciers
Live Science previously reported an unusual answer to prevent Antarctica ’s western ice sheet from fall in : monumental snow cannons . These cannons pump seawater to produce trillions of tons of artificial Baron Snow of Leicester to blast across glacier .
According to a 2019 study publish in the journalScience , create an artificial blizzard in the coastal area around Thwaites and Pine Island glacier could stabilise the West Antarctic Ice Sheet , reducing ice red ink and pregnant ocean level rise . Anders Levermann , physicist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and study co - author , said in astatement : " The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the tipping elements in our climate system . frappe loss is accelerating and might not stop until the West Antarctic ice tack is practically go . "
Use drones to plant tree bombs
Planting forests from the sky using trailer has been explored as a solution against deforestation after wildfire and in areas that are unmanageable to reach . In Australia , AirSeed Technologiesis using drones and AI to degenerate " seed bomb " in areas devastated by bushfires or flooding ..
fit in to the U.N. ’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , reforestation is full of life to quash the effects of climate change . A2019 studyfound that there is distance on Earth to plant one C of one million million of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , with the potentiality to cut atmospheric C levels by 25 % . allot to a2020 study , replanting trees could repress the U.S. C footprint by 14 % .
Lab-grown meat
exhaust lab - develop educate meat rather than livestock - raise beef was previously think to be good for the environment . research lab - turn meat does n’t require pastures for graze , uses less water and land for growing provender and farm less methane than cattle .
However , a2023 studyfound that the vim needed and greenhouse gases let loose at all stage of cultivated meat output is between four and 25 time high than traditional boeuf - nurture . This echo the findings of a2019 studythat suggested that although cattle contribute to planetary warming by emitting methane , overall cultivated meat could be worse for the satellite in the long - condition .
Although scientists have n’t yet bump a low - expelling solution to cultivating science lab grown meat , from an animal - welfare perspective cultivated core still has a positive impact .
Eat a plant-based diet
In a2024 paper , scientists found that for reduce greenhouse gases and global heating by 1.5 degrees Celsius , people want to consume fewer sum and beast product and swop to a mostly plant - base diet .
This echo an earlier2020 reportthat found evidence that reduce meat consumption importantly and switch to a plant - base diet is the ultimate answer to abridge global emission .
A separate2021 reportfound that fauna - found intellectual nourishment emit twice the amount of global greenhouse gas emissions as industrial plant - based foods .
Plastic-eating enzymes
mankind are generating twice as much plastic as we did just two decades ago , with just 9%ofplasticsuccessfully recycled . Plastic is n’t biodegradable and can take up to500years to decompose , according to the United Nations .
physical body from theUniversity of Coloradoshow that the refinement of plastics emits 184 to 213 million metric tons of glasshouse gases each class . The disposal of single - use plastic in landfills calculate for more than 15 % of methane emanation .
In 2022Live Sciencereported that an AI - direct plastic - consume bacterium had been developed that could work the plastic problem . Researchers discover a variant of an enzyme called hydrolase that can pause down PET ( polyethylene terephthalate ) into factor corpuscle . A separate2023 studyfound evidence that morphologic biota could be used to develop an enzyme that " ' eats " charge plate .
Build cloud-making ships
Scientists have explored installing a fleet of " swarm - make " ships to increase cloud masking and cool the atm . The proficiency , " marine cloud brightening " ( MCB ) , involves find the aerosol mote size that is " just right . "
" Since there is a risk that particle size can either increase precipitation or increase evaporation , the optimal particle sizing and number will likely need to be matched to the target swarm , " NOAA scientist Graham Feingold saidin a argument .
According to a2021 study , stratocumulus decks , which underwrite magnanimous areas of Earth ’s control surface , would be the primary target .
Build underwater walls to protect glaciers
Walls made of rock ‘n’ roll and sand on the seafloor could be used to protect undersea glaciers from melting and reduce the risk of exposure of sea levels rising in Antarctica , consort to research worker .
In a2018 study , researchers explore this form of geoengineering to mitigate the impingement of mood alteration on coastal areas . The structures would be used to stop warmer piddle from reaching the al-Qaida of the glaciers , a leading cause of glacier thaw . The Guardianreported that the base of the ice around the South Pole shrank by 556 straight nautical mile ( 1,463 square kilometers ) between 2010 and 2016 .
Dim the sun
Although dimming the sun would n’t repeal climate change , it could make acooling core , researchers have found . According to a2018 report , a solar technology proficiency that reflects some of the sun ’s shaft of light into space could aid limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius and meet targets do in theParis Agreement .
According to a2023 study , using a combination of solar engineering science techniques to block some sunshine could also protect polar regions from melting .
Spray arctic ice with glass
Summer Arctic sea frappe is shrinking at a rate of 12.2 % per 10 , compared to its average extent during the period from 1981 to 2010,satellite observationsfromNASAshow .
One solution could be to coat turgid swathes of the Arctic in a fragile stratum of reflective deoxyephedrine beads that protect young ice and give up older ice to form , accord to theArctic Ice Project , a non-profit-making system . Research experiment to test the geoengineering technique in lakes and rivers in Canada have show some successful results , according to a 2018study .
Paint buildings white
Painting buildings in an extremist - cooling white key could provide an affordable temperature reduction solution , researchers have launch . In many hot countries , such as Greece and Spain , blank houses are the average . They reflect the sun ’s powerful rays , make the buildings cooler .
In 2023 , researchers invented a Modern ultra - bloodless formula thatmodeling experimentsfound reflects 98.1 % of solar heat away from the open . The pigment gained anInnovation Awardfor its potential to keep surfaces nerveless and cut the need for air conditioning .
Recycle human waste
Researchers have plant that composting human waste to use as a plant food for agriculture reduce greenhouse gasoline emission and waste - borne malady .
A2020 studypublished in Nature inquire the sanitation and composting of human waste at large slum area in Haiti , where only 30 % of the universe has access to sewer sanitisation . investigator detect that off - internet site composting had a methane emissions factor of 0.5 % , compared to 20 to 80%from pit latrines and lagoons .
" Composting has a much smaller greenhouse gas step than all of the other non - sewer engineering that are used widely today , " University of California , Merced Professor Rebecca Ryals and written report Colorado - author said in astatement .
Eat insects
Insects could put up an alternative source of protein and reduce greenhouse discharge , accord to theWorld Economic Forum . A2017 studyreported that cricket farm give off 75 % less carbon copy dioxide and half as much water as poultry farms .
Separate research from2023found evidence that eatable insects , many of which are regarded as pests , could work many environmental and health issues by cut back greenhouse gases emitted during intellectual nourishment output and providing an extra food source as the global population go forward to grow .
Use algae for food, fuel and cement
Scientistsresearching the possible economic consumption of microalgae for carbon capture and in medications and solid food found that some species of algae form limestone , which can be used to make biocement and reduce carbon use .
A2024 studyfound evidence microalgae could be used as a biofuel and a greener root to fossil fuels . A separate2024 reportfound that alga is more and more added as a nutritious ingredient in plant - found solid food . Compared to conventional works and animal sources , the researchers happen that alga used few born resource to grow and harvest .
Use the human body as an energy source
Rather than cooling the warmth produced by human race in busy urban area , scientists are using human heat to warm buildings .
In Sweden , aneco - post buildingsituated above Stockholm Central Station recovers the excess body rut produced by thousand of commuter .. Using heat exchanger , the excess heat energy is converted to warm water supply , which supplies up to 20 % of the office heating . To cool the building , water system is extracted from a nearby lake .
Use asbestos to remove CO2 from the air
Scientists are exploring how asbestos ( in its natural form ) could be used as a " carbon sink " to remove CO2 from the atmosphere . Asbestos is a by nature - occurring stringy silicate mineral that is harmless in the soil , but when invent , it becomes a carcinogenic compound that causes serious wellness problems when breathed in .
In a2019 study , scientists reported how the permissive waste from mining , including asbestos , could be used to capture atomic number 6 .
Paint mountains white
In2010 , a Peruvian inventorwhitewashed a muckle top in the Peruvian Andes in an experimentation to see if it could protect against glacier melting by ruminate heating system away from the superlative . The Glaciares de Peru Project ’s early lesson of geoengineering won a $ 200,000 loot as part of the World Bank’s"100 Ideas to Save the Planet " contention .
In2023 , Reutersreported that 56 % of Peru ’s tropical glaciers had vanish in the last six decades as a termination of climate variety .
Grow more sea ice in the Arctic
In 2023 , investigator from the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge take in charge an experimentation in Cambridge Bay in the Arctic Circle to drill and pump seawater across the surface to freeze and therefore thicken the deoxyephedrine .
This , the squad said , could protect it from melting and restore lose ice to extenuate some of the effects of carbon emission . The2024 studyexamining the impact of the experiment found evidence of freezing further away from the point in time of injection , suggesting thickening frappe in the Arctic could be a helpful strategy to mitigate further ice loss .
Live in trash houses
The expression industry is creditworthy for a large symmetry of global carbon emission and it charge a huge amount of waste to landfills each year . TheEuropean Commissionestimates the industry produce over a third of the European Union ’s waste . Approximately one-half of the100 billion lashings of raw materialsextracted across the globe each year are used in construction .
One solution being tested is using recycling materials such asplastic to create bricks . A2022 studyreported that the purpose of recycled building material , such as credit card , glass , concrete and steel , during construction could repress the environmental impact make by expression by up to 65 % .
Bury carbon underground
Capturing and storing carbon copy , a process known ascarbon sequestration , can reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and lessen its impact on the environment .
In a2022 study , researchers look into the grandness of erosion in carbon sepulture to see if undersoil could be used with " frontier " technology to store outstanding quantities of carbon . scientist regain grounds to indicate that undersoil could be used to trance carbon with expectant quantity of carbon recorded in century sure-enough undersoil .
Space-based solar power
Sincethe 1920s , scientist have been explore how space - found solar king can be harvest and transmitted back to Earth .
According toNASA , large orbital solar panels could be blasted into space , and the energy they gather then sent back to our planet using laser or microwave oven beams . A2024report by NASA pass judgment the potential cost and conditions take to birth space - based solar power and the role NASA could play in developing technologies to harness this vigor .
fit in to theEuropean Space Agency , sun is 10 times more acute in the atmosphere than it is on Earth ’s surface , and distance - based solar power could aid in Europe reach anet - zero greenhouse gasoline emission targetby2050 .
Fly less
Traveling by plane contributes significantly to climate change . The air power industry give up to 2.4 % of globose carbon paper emissions annually , agree to a report published in theAtmospheric Environment Journal . TheEnvironment and Energy Study Institutereported that the " hypermobility " of line locomotion caused the one-year globose passenger count to reach 4.56 billion people in 2019 . In a2022 subject field , research worker investigated how behavioural change , such as abstaining from flying , choosing an alternate means of transport and carbon offsetting , could be encouraged to boil down private shock .
Grow algae in the ocean to reduce acidity
The ocean absorbs around a third of the major planet ’s carbon dioxide from the atmosphere . However , as carbon dioxide emission have increased , scientist have found that seawater has become more acidic , and less good at carbon capture .
Butalgae can help " calcify " the waterby release enzymes that break down carbon dioxide into bicarbonate ion . These ion can then be used for calcification . In a2016 discipline , scientists ascertain that alga helps the water continue neutral and engross more carbon .
Reintroduce woolly mammoths
In a labor reminiscent ofJurassic Park , scientists fromHarvard Universityhave research bring woolly mammoths back to sprightliness .
concord to researchers from theWoolly Mammoth Revival Project , reintroduce previously extinct declamatory creature and herbivore to Arctic environment could reduce greenhouse gases by acting as a natural geoengineer . By trampling around , they could help grasslands — which suck up less heat than trees — to boom , while keep permafrost to thaw .
Train cattle to use the loo
researcher from New Zealand have successfully " potty trained " cattle to utilise a toilet , nicknamed a " MooLoo . "
The project place to deoxidize ammonia emissions from piddle and droppings from percolate into the soil and nearby water system sources , causing nitrous oxide — a type of nursery gas — and acidulous rain .
According to the2021 story , a unmarried cow can farm 30 liters of weewee daily . Ammonia is produce when this piss combines with BM . Although urine is n’t as damaging as the methane produced by farting and burping oxen , the nitrous oxide from urine was found to make up 5 % of all nursery gases from Department of Agriculture in theU.K. in 2019 .
Build wind farms in the sky
Airborne engineering could be a solution in the fight against mood change . These technologies , such ashuge kites , are being explored as a method acting for harvesting wind business leader high above the dry land and in remote locations where schematic wind turbine ca n’t be installed .
According to a2013 study , high - ALT hint are loosely more brawny than close - surface confidential information , resulting in up to 4.5 times higher average power tightness .
Use nature to encourage people to care about the planet
The United Nationshas outlined 10 action mechanism that hoi polloi can take to reduce their carbon footprint and save the planet . These include using less energy , consuming fewer products generally ( such as vesture , electronics ) , reuse more and using greener way of travel .
According to a2023 studyconducted by researcher at the University of Tokyo , citizenry who drop more prison term in nature are more probable to like about the natural environs and take legal action to protect it . Researchers found evidence that give the great unwashed a chance to experience nature boosts empathy for the health of the satellite and encourages prosocial behaviour .
