Blog # 9 Reasearch Proposal

After doing research on geoengineering, I have found that there are various technologies being developed that will be used in attempt to cool down the planet in response to climate change. There are two types of geoengineering solar radiation management (SRM) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) that I will be discussing in my final persuasive research paper. I will be looking to find out which geoengineering technology is the best suitable in regards to safety, health awareness and the overall effect of climate change as a whole. In my research I have found out that in the subject of both SRM and CDR there are large scale methods such as, aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization being developed which could be harmful to ecosystems and people’s health. I have also found methods of geoengineering from several different sources that are regarded as soft geoengineering. Soft geoengineering is still relatively new, and are still begin developed. These new technologies seem to have less harmful effects on the ecosystem and people alike, but still need more work to become affordable to be applied on a large scale to become effective as these other methods I have mentioned earlier. I want to find out which method of geoengineering should be invested in?

I believe that soft geoengineering is the methods we should be focusing on instead of aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization. So I guess my question is: Is aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization the safest route to take in attempt to cool down our planet in regards to climate change even though there is still much more harm that they could cause? Since aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization have much research done showing signs that they may cause more harm than good, shouldn’t we take time to invest into soft geoengineering? These questions are problematic, because these issue of climate change is real. We need to use the resources we have present to start an attempt to cool down the planet until we can figure out a way to start mitigating emissions. Geoengineering is not a fix to the issue of climate change, only a high tech band aid to slow down the global effects of climate change while we work on a greater solution. Knowing that geoengineering is a great tool we can use for climate change we must choose the methods that are safest for ecosystems and people. My readers should care about this because I am arguing that we all consider soft geoengineering because geoengineering will affect everyone on this planet in one way or another. I also believe the reader should care for the simple fact that this is important information for everyone to be made aware of. News stations have not started to talk about geoengineering yet, though I think it will become talked of more once people have been informed.

I am convinced that the idea of soft geoengineering is the route to be invested in if we are to use geoengineering to cool our planet while figuring out new options to mitigate emissions. Aerosol geoengineering is talked about as the cheapest method to use in regards to cooling down the planet. This could be a major counter argument in my paper. I can come back talking about the dangers involved with particle injection in the stratosphere which are: aerosol geoengineering does not address the problem of rising CO2 levels, deploying aerosol geoengineering could alter precipitations patterns, once aerosol geoengineering is deployed there is a risk that it could be abruptly discontinued, leading to rapid climate change, last aerosol geoengineering could create the potential for geo-political conflict (Svoboda, 4). I am not arguing that soft geoengineering is the cheapest route to cool down the planet. I am arguing that we need to invest time and resources into soft geoengineering, because of these reasons: Can be applied locally, scalable to larger areas, low or no anticipated negative impacts on ecosystems or society, rapid reversibility if problems do arise, have multiple benefits beyond impacts on climate, analogous to natural process, effects are large enough soon enough to be worthwhile, and cost-effective with mature technologies deployed at moderate scale. (Olson, 2). I will also talk about the negative effects that aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization have to counter the counter argument made against my persuasion.  Geoengineering is still a very new concept and many scientists and big money investors such as Bill Gates are racing to figure out the most suitable method to help cool down the planet (Goodell, 113). It is dire for these scientists and investors not to rush into the cheapest option like aerosol geoengineering and ocean fertilization, because I don’t believe that we can truly grasp the blow back it may cause in the long run. Not only will be have the looming problem of climate change but whole new problems may arise from geoengineering that these scientist are not prepared for. Society and earth as a whole are at stake when dealing with geoengineering so it is very important that we take the necessary time and preparations while we start testing these methods. I will be sure to be as through as possible when doing my research for this paper to make sure that no side is left out. It is important for us to take a long look at every possibility and resource that we have and develop the safest one.

Work Cited

Goodell, Jeff 2010 “How To Cool The Planet, Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest

to Fix the Earth’s Climate”. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. Print

Olson, Robert L. “Soft Geoengineering: A Gentler Approach to Addressing Climate Change.” Environment. Sep/Oct 2012, Vol. 54 Issue 5, p29-39. 6 Color Photographs, 1

Chart, 1 Graph, 2 Maps

Svoboda, Tony, “Is Aerosol Geoengineering Ethically Preferable to Other Climate Change Strategies?” Ethics & the Environment. Fall 2012, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p111-135. 25p

Blog # 8

The most important thing I learned from the synthesis essay was how to organize my writing to relate to my thesis and topic sentences. Some of the readings were helpful to coach me through some transitions and overall relate back to my main point for the essay. I learned very much about myself as a writer. I feel, that I gain more confidence and voice with every writing assignment we have had so far. I am finding it very easy to write about something that matters to me, even though I know not every writing assignment is going to be that way. However, I know that I can apply the skills I am learning in Eng. 121 to write an effective paper no matter what the subject is.
            The one thing I struggled with throughout this writing assignment was that I have some much to say and how do I say it in so few words. To be able to examining my writing to find the relative point is that I am trying to make. I understand that many issues are very broad and that you must clarify what you or the authors are speaking about. Next time I would definitely try to figure out what my topic sentence was early, to avoid excess writing about other topics. Even though it was sort of a paradox, because my free writing helped me develop my topic sentences and thesis.
            I feel that those ‘light bulb moments” happened early on with this paper for me. Not only in my writing but in applying what I was reading about to real life situations. I was able to see this problem of geoengineering and recognize that new market of alternative energy, this paper has not only taught me how to write better but has turned on a few light bulbs in the ol noggin. I can see that writing professionally will be a daily tool I will need in the future to come up with various business proposals where my opinion and whatever I am researching will need to be explained to investors. I believe in this new technology and I am confident that the industry will become as stable as they mention in my articles.

Blog # 7 Exploratory Essay

Growing up I was always interested in science fiction and new technologies. As I got older I started to realize that a lot of these topics brought up in science fiction and the new technologies were not far from becoming a part of the world we live in today. With issues such as global warming or “climate change” causing worry and alarm, people around the nation and globe have realized that we are running out of time and options. So in a world where science fiction is not far from the future, are some of these new technology really going to benefit the people of Earth? Many of the technologies may benefit us, but there are a few technologies out there I have recently discovered called geoengineering which may pose a greater threat to our world than the actual rises in CO2 levels and greenhouse gases. I have been able to do some research on geoengineering, and found out that geoengineering is man-made technologies geared towards cooling down our planet by either capturing CO2 or reflecting some of the sun’s radiation away from earth’s surface to avoid temperatures from rising. Geoengineering has raised many questions for me; is spraying our stratosphere with aerosols in an attempt to cool down the planet, rather than changing our lifestyles and cutting emissions really better for our environment and the wellbeing of mankind? Are there other methods that we can use to “cool down” our planet, rather alternative to spraying aerosol particles in the stratosphere? To begin my research I wanted to find out more specifically what geoengineering was, and how many types of geoengineering exist or what new prototypes being developed. I began to read various articles, books, on geoengineering, some of what I read could have as easily been pulled straight out of a science fiction novel from the early 1940’s. The information was frightening to see that this new technology could change and alter the future of our planet for hundreds of years to come.

My first source was “Does Geoengineering Present a Moral Hazard?” published by Albert C. Lin, in the “Ecology Law Quarterly”. I found out there are two main types of geoengineering that are being discussed globally. The first is carbon dioxide removal (CDR), which strives to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere; the second is solar radiation management (SRM) which aims to reflect some of the sun’s radiation into space (675). There seem to be hazards involved with both methods. For the first route it would require dumping tons of iron into the oceans to spawn phytoplankton growth which would consume CO2, though it would be at a slower rate than the emissions we produce, and could have “fatal effects on marine animals”(676). The second route involves “stratospheric aerosol deployment” (675), which is essentially planes spraying the sky with particles to reflect some of the sunlight away from earth. The second method is truly frightening, because it does “nothing to address…rising greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere” (676). These methods can be hazardous because they are all still relatively new technologies, and we don’t quite know the effect they could have on humans, or even if they will work to cool down the planet like they are theorizing. It seems that overall we will have to take a long look at whether we want to simply adapt to these rising greenhouse gases and continue on with our hunger for consumption, or we have to mitigate the existing problem, before we go on creating new ones with geoengineering.

I continued my research on geoengineering, this time more focused to find out more about the aerosol spraying in the stratosphere. This led me to read Tony Svoboda’s article “Is Aerosol Geoengineering Ethically Preferable to Other Climate Change Strategies?” Which gave me a lot of information on the advantages and disadvantages of aerosol geoengineering. Spraying aerosols into the atmosphere appear to work in cooling down the temperature in a fast and inexpensive way, cheaper than actually cutting emissions. Those may seem like advantages to some, but it sounds to me like whoever is in charge of making decisions regarding “climate change” is just looking for an easy and profitable way out of an inevitable solution to the climate change situation. The disadvantages seemed to far outweigh the so called advantages. Messing around with injecting sulfate precursor aerosols could prove to be very dangerous for some regions of the world, causing rain in some areas and droughts in others. Another reason injecting aerosols into the stratosphere could be dangerous is if from some reason they we no longer able to keep up with the spraying “the aerosols already in the stratosphere would disperse within several years, allowing global temperatures to increase rapidly” (5). I can see how this type of geoengineering may see like the best option for us to buy some time to create solutions to cut mitigate emissions, but that would also mean relying on those in charge of this type of technology to use it for its intended purpose. I can only wonder if this type of aerosol spraying got into the wrong hands, what it could do to a poor country we are at war with. If instead of using it to “cool down” the planet they caused a drought or floods in other countries. They would essentially be playing god, by controlling the weather around the world, by deciding who gets water and who does not. It seems that these aerosol methods of geoengineering are not being tested with the wellbeing of mankind as part of the agenda to “cool the planet”.

Trying to stay on track on the subject of geoengineering my research lead me to the public library, where I was able to find only one book on geoengineering. Geoengineering is fairly new and still in the research and development phases, so there is not many published books, although I have a feeling there will be many more to come.  After reading “How To Cool The Planet” by Jeff Goodell, I recognized some of these familiar terms such as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM), but one thing that realty caught my attention was how Goodell’s research on geoengineering lead him to meet with David Keith who is head of energy and environmental program at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Keith is in charge of designing a “CO2 scrubber”, a machine which essentially uses “lye (sodium hydroxide) to bind with the CO2… which then removes the CO2 from the atmosphere…the lye is then transformed into sodium carbonate”(28). Once you capture the sodium carbonate you mix with lime causing the CO2 to settle and then be baked to separate into pure streams of CO2 and quicklime”(29). Keith’s invention could change the game in geoengineering if he could develop a cheap and safe way to filter the CO2 out of the atmosphere opposed to spraying aerosols in the stratosphere. This process seemed so cool to me, a machine designed in a “closed loop system” that can suck out CO2 from our atmosphere, which can then be sold and reused for alternative energies. It was a bit of relief when I read about these “softer” methods being developed around the world, showing a glimpse of hope that we won’t be solely subjected to this science fiction way of “injecting our stratosphere” with aluminum and other particles, if we can discover these new technologies out there.

 I wanted to find out more about other technologies used to geo-engineer in attempt to cool down or help with the rising CO2 levels around the world. Which is what lead me to my next source, an article which explored “soft geoengineering”, ways to attempt to cool the planet with minimal damages to the ecosystems. I had to find out how many of these different technologies were out there. It seem there haven’t been many discovered that are cost efficient, if there was the “aerosol sprays” wouldn’t be the main plan of choice. But I did end up finding some that seems like they could be a great start to helping solve the climate change crisis locally. I found a new method, one of a few being developed, that creates hydrosols in the water, which is essentially a “cloud turned inside out” (30), which would use millions of “microbubbles” which can “double the reflectivity of water” (30). This method of cooling the planet can be applied locally and cheaply, the article says “brightening a large pond can have an equivalent effect to putting white roofs on 10,000 buildings- for little more than the cost of one roof” (30). It seems there are safer technologies being developed to help save our planet from rising CO2 levels which may cool down our planet, opposed to spaying our stratosphere will dangerous particles. Not only are these methods safer, but they could create a new technology boom in local communities around the world.

 Last I visited the website GeoengineeringWatch.org and I saw a different issues about geoengineering not really mentioned in the academic readings I had found in the public library. This website was more geared towards putting an end to Geoengineering, which has already begun in our country. It sheds some light on some of these private funded originations have already begun research and testing with the aerosol particle injection of the stratosphere without permission or votes by the public and other geopolitical states around the world.  Dane Wigington give a series of presentations of how these particles which they are spraying into the atmosphere are harmful for human consumption and could lead to serious side effects down the road, if we as a people don’t put an end to the current situation. Wigington say “that the purpose of the website is to expose the issue of global climate engineering (geoengineering)” (00:06-00:17). I think this website is very important to show the population, most who have no idea that geoengineering even exists, that we have to be aware of what is actually happening in our country.

I was very intrigued with all of the information I had found on this subject of geoengineering. I had hear rumors about the subject, but they were always brought up as “chemtrails” which was regarded as a conspiracy theory. I was very stratified to find out that this scientific term geoengineering existed. It seems that overall we may be facing an issue of grand proportion, with the aerosol geoengineering, but it was a relief to find they methods regarded as “soft geoengineering”, methods which are actually being developed and used in attempt to cool down the planet or being down some of the high levels of CO2 in our atmosphere in a safe effective manner. It seems we need to spend some time and figure out a cost effective way to address the issue of geoengineering and climate change.

                                                                  Work Cited

Lin, Albert C “Does Geoengineering Present a Moral Hazard?”   Ecology Law Quarterly. 2013,

Vol. 40 Issue 3, p673-712. 40p.

Goodell, Jeff 2010 “How To Cool The Planet, Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix

the Earths Climate” New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. Print

Olson, Robert L.“Soft Geoengineering: A Gentler Approach to Addressing Climate Change.”

        Environment. Sep/Oct 2012, Vol. 54 Issue 5, p29-39. 6 Color Photographs, 1 Chart, 1 Graph,

Svoboda, Tony, Is Aerosol Geoengineering Ethically Preferable to Other Climate Change

Strategies? Ethics & the Environment. Fall2012, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p111-135. 25p

Exter, Robert and Wigington Dane, “Climate Engineering Weather Warfare, and the Collapse of

Civilization” YOUTUBE.com. Jan 30, 2014, www.GeoengineeringWatch.org

Blog # 6 S/R Reflection

After writing the summary and response essay, on Blake Clayton’s “The Case for Allowing US Crude Oil Exports”, I found that when I finished up with the paper I had a better understanding of my writing process. Initially, I was overwhelmed with the idea of having to respond to an essay in my own words, and keeping the authors voice. After spending time in the writing center I was able to get a better grip on what the assignment actually was and realize that the process of writing the response was not near as difficult as I had imagined.

Although I did have some struggles with the paper along the way, with becoming organized with my purpose and thoughts. Finding different ways to edit my paper was helpful to better organize the rough drafts to the final draft. It was much easier for me to use the “free writing” and various drafting techniques to get the bulk of what I wanted to say on paper. After, I saw which direction I was going to take the paper using with and against the grain annotation, I found it easy to write to “fill in” rather than write out a final draft with purpose on the first try.

I can agree with the quote from Norman Maclean, “all there is to thinking…is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren’t noticing, which makes you see something which isn’t even visible.” I believe life is about noticing the daily “coincidences”, and interpreting them into a new way that ultimately creates a new stream of consciousness or idea which later becomes reality. If you’re not paying attention to these noticeable occurrences, you could potentially be missing out on a new creative process or "picture" that you would have been a part of painting. This quote doesn’t just apply to my reading and writing process, it applies to my life and what links me to being human. A human who is able to create something out of nothing with essentially an idea. The quote reminds me of another quote by Eyedea and Abilities (First Born, The Dive part 2), “you gotta lose your mind it find it, and when you finally find it, you find out that it was never lost at all”. Overall this essay has helped me start to develop a writing style and help get the creative juices flowing again.

Blog # 4

After reading Blake Claytons “The Case for allowing U.S. Crude Oil Exports” my first responses are strongly in favor of his premises that the ban on exporting crude oil in the U.S. should be lifted. However there are areas in his article that I have issues with. 

The reason I can see two sides to Claytons argument, is that I have worked in the oil fields and I have a desire to create a company and further my career in the oil and gas industry.  This is going to be very challenging. Particularly because I am going to have to deal with issues brought up in Claytons article.

Clayton has stated that laws and rules regarding export of crude make it very difficult to do so. These laws are no longer needed because the reason we have put them in place have proven to be obsolete. Well intended at first, but they are no longer needed because we have a surplus of oil being produced. I am convinced that these resources will be available to the U.S. and to the world if we remove the ban on crude export.  Safe technology will prove that we should not have to worry about exporting all of our resources, and we will have this oil in the US for the next 100 years. Hopefully by that time we as a country will no longer be reliant on fossil fuels.

The company I want to create for the oil field industry is going to be part of solving some of these questions and issues regarding environmental such as global warming, methane and CO2 releases, ground water and better use of “fracking technology” and allow us to export oil and our technology to the world.

Blog #3 This I Believe

I believe in a thousand things. It is simple and it is not. There is my intention to do good that leads to belief in hard work for money, glory and the satisfaction of just doing and finishing something. It gives meaning to my belief. I intend to believe and that alone layers the simple charm of people over the complexity of the acts of  man. The acting of our fellow-man is despicable at times and seems unbelievable! I choose charm and consciousness and believe kind awareness in my hard work with and toward people and truth will rub-off in my community.

I believe in so many things, so why do I see fault in me when people don’t understand. Understand what I say; understand what I feel; understand what should be simple. I believe it is a jigsaw puzzle and each experience in each day and each thought at night are pieces assembling my picture and my understanding. I intend to show my belief is a simple thing with dimensional edges that can be confused and unclear but with trial and error pieced together to make a simple vision of  those many, many pieces.

I believe that I am an animal that can experience pain and respond. I believe I will find love and I also will find food. Simple….but as a man I can love the essence of my food, sit back and relax and understand the meaning of the satisfaction of my “fullness”. Complex…but simple. I believe and know it can be shared in meal with others. Even more complex; if one chooses to look deep.

I believe in a world of simple things and intricate interactions. Like a monsoon in summer it comes the same in the afternoon but new every time. I intend to believe in belief.

I believe in belief. Otherwise, what I can I learn when a host of men claim they know the truth but lies and hatred and bad intentions abide. I believe in a light touch and a bit of humor can diffuse the buildup of pressure from unreasonable men.  We all might remember that “The Dude  abides.”

It seems belief is a paradox. I believe that belief resolves itself. Little things make up big things but big things are simple…because they are made up of simple pieces. And around and  around we go. It is fun and it is frustrating but life is just that.

Blog #1 - Four Words

Instinctual - I always go with my gut instinct and make quick decisions based off of those feeling, that is if it feels right. Sometimes it will feel wrong and I will simply not make that decision. I have found that following my gut has lead me into many great situations and opportuinties. While backpacking up the west coast i never made a plan of where I was going. I only projected basics of what I wanted out of my adventure to the "universe" for lack of a better word, and waited until the opportune moments to make my instinctual and intuitive decisions. It ended up being one of the best summers of my life, even during the rough times when the doubt would seep in and I would wonder what the hell I was doing so far away from home. All i had to do was to remember to trust my gut and like clockwork I would end up in a better situation than the days prior.

Kind - I always belive in the people, and the random occurances you experiance with them on a daily basis add up to each and every moment you will ever have through out your live. Each experiance is a building block from the next. Which is why I try to be as kind as possible to everyone encounter through out my travels. You never know who you might end up meeting and what the meaning behind the encounter may be. It might be as simple as good conversation or as life changing as minds colaborating on inventing new technology. When I moved to New Orleans I didn't know anyone from the city. I would spend my days off walking around the Quarter hearing the heart beat of the city; from the distant street artists playing classic N.O. tunes, the loud chatter of the laughing people pouring out of the bar,and the sirens of the local police speading down Canal St. I started to meet a bunch of cool new people, one person in particular I especially remember because of their kindness to me. They gave me a bike which completly and for ever changed my experiance in the city. I was no longer confined to the Quarter and riding the Street Car. I was able to bike to some of the most beautiful parts of the city "off tha beatin path". As time went by and I became a seasoned resident of New Orleans I meet someone who had just moved to the city and could hear the same excitement in their voice that i once had. I remember the bike i had stored in my back yard that a good friend once gave me. The same bike i used to adventure through the city I had now fallen in love with. I Could now return the favor of kindness that someone once showed me. Ever since I have always tried stay kind with all of the people, you never know the possitive effect you can have on somebody, or vice versa.

Animated- From the way I speak when I am passionate about something. Everytime at a good show I become animated when I'm dancing off rythym just a minimal amount. Becoming alive with the day or night. With too much energy to deal with sometimes I am almost forced to be animated. It would just be a damn shame to waste all of the werid creative energy. This past summer when I was living and working in the Bakken Oil Field I was blessed to have the opportunity to park my newly bought camper van on a 1000 acre farm. Living with horses, cows and a gaggle of praire dogs all named TJ on a pasture over looking a stream that lead into a large fishing hole. I dug a large fire pit with the help of my friends and we got the camp properly set up. Over the summer we would have bon fires and listen to music until early hours into the morning, howling at the full moons, going on coyote chases. It all reminded on the daily how alive I was, a true primal feeling of being alive and animated!

Eccentric - I have always been on the weird side of life, just becuase I have found the weird side to be a lot more fun. Always have I been dancing to my own beat of the drum. With a strangly unique style, flow and demeanor, I carry myself through even stranger experiances. Sometimes when going to party's and shows I will wear my monkey suit, well more of a monkey onesy. I am consitanly making up my own weird songs and random noises. I used to think I was disconnected and different for the longest time untill one day I realized that anything in life can be turned around. No longer feeling disconnected but now a found connection to everything in this world. All help of my weird side and all of the other weirdos out there!

I thought it would prove more of a problem writing how these words will have an impact on my writing style but now i sort of see how they play a part. Though I don't think my writing style will be limited to 4 words. I have long way to go to be able to incorperate all of my experiance in to my unique writing style and developing voice. If it as simple as relaying the passion and excitment I was feeling during the experiances I guess it shouldn't be too difficult.