Would dropping nukes (in uninhabited areas) be a viable solution to climate change?

[Rubiks]

Nuclear winter - Wikipedia

thoughts?

 

[Brightmoon]

Quick answer no. It would just mask the warming like air pollution did during the 60s and cause problems with fallout

 

[devin553344]

We stopped dropping nukes on uninhabited regions for a reason. It's spelled out in this government article: Nuclear Weapons Tests and Environmental Consequences: A Global Perspective

But fallout lands in crops and dusts cities and causes cancer in the population

 

[public hermit]

Even if it is, we should probably hold off. They're not even sure if the following "nuclear summer" won't be worse than what we started with. The models don't all agree.

 

[Sketcher]

Prioritize hurricanes.

 

[Brightmoon]

Like Trump ignorantly wants to blast a hurricane with a nuclear bomb. Hurricanes are too powerful to be dealt with by nukes and the fallout from enough nukes to stop a hurricane would be globally life threatening

 

[timewerx]

Quick answer no. It would just mask the warming like air pollution did during the 60s and cause problems with fallout

I think the idea has some merit.

Thermonuclear devices can be designed to generate as little radioactive fallout as possible. Even less than Hiroshima for a device with yield up to 1000 megatons!

An alternative is "simply" to steer a small asteroid to impact the the middle of the Sahara desert. Zero fallout!

Hoping that asteroid doesn't actually end up in Moscow or Washington instead?? LOL asteroid weapon of mass destruction. Probably incredibly difficult in practice.

 

[timewerx]

Like Trump ignorantly wants to blast a hurricane with a nuclear bomb. Hurricanes are too powerful to be dealt with by nukes and the fallout from enough nukes to stop a hurricane would be globally life threatening

He watches Sharknado too much!

 

[Albion]

Like Trump ignorantly wants to blast a hurricane with a nuclear bomb. Hurricanes are too powerful to be dealt with by nukes and the fallout from enough nukes to stop a hurricane would be globally life threatening

Trump asked the question. That's it. He did not "want to blast" etc. etc.

 

[public hermit]

The basic premise is to create enough soot/debris to block out the sun. They've studied certain events, such as the smoke from the oil fires during Desert Storm. They're not sure how much soot or debris can be create to sustain a ten year nuclear winter, which is what the original model suggested. Do we have enough uninhabited space that when ignited/blown up will create the debris needed to block the sun for a sufficient amount of time to counteract climate conditions. My pea brain can't figure all the variables, but my gut says it's a bad idea.

 

[com7fy8]

This could be a conspiracy by the cockroaches.

 

[JohnAshton]

Nuclear detonations will not hinder climate change but will affect living organisms.

The nuclear weapons dropped in NV threw up radioactive dust and particles, and the wind drifted down on southwestern utah dusting gardens and clothes on the outdoor lines.

The victims were known as "down winders." Michelle, my class mate and friend, died earlier this year after a several decades bout with the cancers caused by the radioactive wind.

 

[timewerx]

The basic premise is to create enough soot/debris to block out the sun. They've studied certain events, such as the smoke from the oil fires during Desert Storm. They're not sure how much soot or debris can be create to sustain a ten year nuclear winter, which is what the original model suggested. Do we have enough uninhabited space that when ignited/blown up will create the debris needed to block the sun for a sufficient amount of time to counteract climate conditions. My pea brain can't figure all the variables, but my gut says it's a bad idea.

The 1815 Tambora eruption had an estimated yield of 800 megatons and resulted to significant cooling worldwide. "The year without summer"

So just to be sure, you need to detonate something with the yield of 1,000 megatons in one explosive device so that dust will be lofted into the atmosphere as high as possible.

That's 20x more powerful than the most powerful bomb ever detonated!

It can be done. But the thermonuclear explosive required would be so large, it would have to be assembled on site. It cannot be dropped by a plane or a missile.

Best site in the middle of Sahara.

The downside, it cannot be done on a regular basis. The powerful earthquakes produced could disturb tectonics worldwide!

On the plus side, it would create a quite spectacular show and would probably gather the largest number of views on social medial! The huge crater produced would become a popular tourist destination. This thing could actually make money, lol!

 

[public hermit]

Best site in the middle of Sahara.

There is plenty of debris to kick up there. Lord have mercy, that is a lot of power.

 

[timewerx]

There is plenty of debris to kick up there. Lord have mercy, that is a lot of power.

I think NASA or JPL have known 1,000 megaton nuclear explosives are possible. They planning to use them to deflect big asteroids/comets that could potentially impact Earth.

But getting them on site, deep in outer space is the huge impossibility at the moment.

Would probably also be done through multiple missions with the bomb assembled right on the asteroid at its surface or some distance away from it. Obviously, this undertaking would take many years so the comet/asteroid needs to be detected years in advance.

They could also be used to put a huge amount of dust into the atmosphere. They can be designed with little amount of fallout as possible via multi-stage detonation process with "inert" casings.

 

[public hermit]

asteroid needs to be detected years in advance

Didn't we (NASA) nearly miss detecting an asteroid (2019 OK), recently? We probably need to step that game up a little.

 

[timewerx]

Didn't we (NASA) nearly miss detecting an asteroid (2019 OK), recently? We probably need to step that game up a little.

Yes, detection is another problem. There actually cases where the Sun blind sided their approach.

A big one headed to Earth and detected in time is actually a good thing for us...

It will force us to re-think the way we use our resources, particularly money. Just like Abraham Lincoln did during the Civil war.

We do have the resources and the means to save ourselves from extinction, including climate change and threats coming from outer space..... The only thing standing between us and saving our species is our love of money

Thus, the love of money is the root of all evil. Evil that stands to steal, kill, and destroy us. So there you go!

 

[public hermit]

We do have the resources and the means to save ourselves from extinction, including climate change and threats coming from outer space

It is strange to think we so love our combustion engine and our conveniences that we won't prepare for possible threats of destruction. If I hear of a threat, a life-threatening threat, I'm going to prepare for that. I'm not going to simply assume the threat is overblown, or a lie. I'm going to treat it like a live threat until it's clear that the threat has been neutralized, or that it was not a legitimate threat. I just don't understand the unwillingness to take seriously possible/potential existential threats. You can't get those wrong, but once.

 

[timewerx]

It is strange to think we so love our combustion engine and our conveniences that we won't prepare for possible threats of destruction. If I hear of a threat, a life-threatening threat, I'm going to prepare for that. I'm not going to simply assume the threat is overblown, or a lie. I'm going to treat it like a live threat until it's clear that the threat has been neutralized, or that it was not a legitimate threat. I just don't understand the unwillingness to take seriously possible/potential existential threats. You can't get those wrong, but once.

Short sightedness.

Sadly, Even Christians try to understand the Bible in this limited perspective that only concerns them and the few people they care about.

That is how false prosperity Gospel came about. Relatively selfish view of money/resources if you only have "short term" goals in mind. Christ's concern is about the Truth and eternity. Now, eternity, is very very long term! It goes way beyond our lifespans.

We will be tested on this and also if we tended the Earth well enough. These are in the Bible.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

I think NASA or JPL have known 1,000 megaton nuclear explosives are possible. They planning to use them to deflect big asteroids/comets that could potentially impact Earth.

IIRC this idea was rejected fairly quickly when it was found that it would have little effect on loose agglomerates of rock and ice, and would break up solid objects into a number of chunks that would likely spread the devastation around the planet. Without an atmosphere to support a decent shockwave, the effect of nukes is very different from that in the atmosphere.

More subtle influences have been suggested such as gravity tractors, or lasers.