After reading
Survival of the Sickest, I became interested in the concept of the Geritol Solution, a drastic measure that could theoretically be taken to reverse the process of global warming. To solve global warming, we must focus on the cause, which is primarily the human emission of Green House Gases (or GHGs). The UN created a group of scientists known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that meets every few years to create a report on the status of the Earth's climate. Throughout these reports, scientists have discovered there are several key GHGs that are the man source of our climate's problem. These gases are generally produced from the combustion of fossil fuels in automobiles, factories, and electricity production plants. The most antagonizing GHG turns out to be Carbon Dioxide or CO2. These GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere and gradually increase the planet's overall temperature. Other GHGs trap a greater amount of heat (methane traps 20 times more heat than CO2), but the actual concentration of CO2 dwarfs the amount of other gases present. The solutions to this problem are mostly drastic theories that haven't been formally tested. Some of these solutions include trillions of little "sun shade" reflectors that would lower the overall planet's temperature, a man made volcano that spews sulfur into the air, and, of course, the Geritol Solution. The Geritol solution basically involves dumping iron dust into certain parts of the ocean, propelling the underwater plant life to flourish. The excessive ocean flora would theoretically absorbs massive amounts of CO2 from the air, hopefully stabilizing the GHGs in the atmosphere. Stanford University professor Stephen Schneider commented, "Of course it's desperation... it's planetary methadone for our planetary heroin addict." Though the president of the National Academy of Sciences, Ralph Cicerone, said that more research must be done and no immediate action should be taken regarding the Geritol Solution, a small company called Planktos Incorporated launched a ship intent on dumping 50 tons of iron dust into the Pacific Ocean in 2007. Their goal is to create a plankton and algae system that will suck CO2 out of the air. This Geritol Solution actually gained credibility when the IPCC listed it as a realistic solution to fix GHG levels in 2001, and Planktos CEO Russ George hopes to recreate this on a larger scale. However, George and his company have come under harsh criticism from individuals who believe that the effects of Planktos' actions on the ocean are unpredictable and a handful of people does not have the right to do this. I hope that in the near future scientists will take a serious look into the Geritol Solution as a legitimate answer to global warming's dire effects, and refine the difficulties in implementing this project to secure our future on this planet.
Planktos CEO Russ George
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