You know we're living in interesting times when "nuke the ocean floor" makes it onto the list of climate solutions.
A new proposal suggests using the world's largest-ever nuclear explosion — buried deep under the ocean — to combat climate change by pulverizing massive amounts of carbon-absorbing rock.
Andrew Haverly, a researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology's Department of Computer Engineering, proposes detonating an 81-gigaton nuclear device beneath the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean. That's over 1,600 times more powerful than the largest nuclear bomb ever tested (the Tsar Bomba).
The explosion would pulverize billions of tons of basalt rock on the ocean floor, triggering a natural process that sucks carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The location – the remote Kerguelen Plateau – was chosen because kilometers of ocean water would contain the blast, while nearby currents could distribute the crushed rock particles for maximum carbon capture.
This single explosion could potentially lock away 30 years' worth of global carbon emissions. Price tag? A mere $10 billion — pocket change compared to the projected $100 trillion in climate change damages by 2100, an "an astronomical return on investment."
Sure, there are some minor hurdles – like convincing the world to okay the biggest nuclear blast in history. But Haverly maintains it's worth considering: "This is not to be taken lightly."
Here's a good video explainer of the Haverly Plan:
Previously:
• The surprising history of hippy crack
• Hourglass full of magnetized 'sand'
• Essay: The Conspiracy Boom, by Jay Kinney
