Simpsons Did It! Simpsons Did It!

Who says the Bush administration doesn't have a plan for global warming? Via Balkinization (which I've finally added to my blogroll, along with the equally interesting Pandagon), comes this story from the Sydney Morning Herald which details Duhbya's cunning plan:The US response says the idea of interfering with sunlight should be included in the summary for policymakers, the prominent chapter at the front of each panel report. It says:

'Modifying solar radiance may be an important strategy if mitigation of emissions fails. Doing the R&D to estimate the consequences of applying such a strategy is important insurance that should be taken out. This is a very important possibility that should be considered.'

Scientists have previously estimated that reflecting less than 1 per cent of sunlight back into space could compensate for the warming generated by all greenhouse gases emitted since the industrial revolution. Possible techniques include putting a giant screen into orbit, thousands of tiny, shiny balloons, or microscopic sulfate droplets pumped into the high atmosphere to mimic the cooling effects of a volcanic eruption. The IPCC draft said such ideas were 'speculative, uncosted and with potential unknown side-effects'.

(emphasis added). This is not a new concept. In fact it's been a favorite of diabolical dudes from the vengeful Old Testament God (Exodus 10:21-23: blots out the Sun as one of the plagues of Egypt) to C. Montgomery Burns (blocked out the Sun to increase demand for nuclear power). In fact, as Professor Chaos discovered, it's hard to come up with any original idea that's not been done already by the Simpsons!