Green Earth
This started out here as a web page. But I have recently created an entire website for my idea to save mankind from the Earth’s climate change.
Build A City Not A Wall
- Solar powered
- Wind powered
- New homes
- New jobs
- Reclaim desert land
- New farm lands
- Plant trees
- Use salt water converted to fresh water for irrigation.
The technology is available to run the entire development process of the project and power the city on electricity.
DO NOT BE A DINOSAUR
Climate change is for real, just ask the dinosaurs. Many of them got instantly frozen in ice,.
What will help is more green. Recover our lands lost to arid conditions, improper grazing, poor water management. Trees, grass, crops and even weeds can help Fight Climate Change. As trees and other plant life grow, they fight climate change by removing CO2 from the air, storing carbon in the plants and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
New Immigrants Can Help
Like our fore-fathers did new migrants coming in can help us reclaim farm lands that have turned arid are even deserts. We can build new farmlands and provide jobs not only for migrants but for many Americans also.
A lot of problems with new immigrants coming to America is that Americans are worried about our resources both land and jobs. But we have lands in the Mid West that have become uninhabitable and unsuited for farm land due to droughts and improper grazing.
With an initial investment and proper management we could set up communities that could work to restore the lands to green pastures and forests again. What better place to settle new immigrants than on land they can help re-build themselves with the help from the government to get started. In time these new lands will repay their costs in crop production, new forests and livable lands.
Not only does this give the immigrants a new place to live but it would also help us as a nation reach net zero emissions through the plants consumption of CO2.
Establishing The Community
To begin we would start with a smaller community of 5,000 families
Assuming 4 members per family you would need 1,250 homes
Other:
All inclusive houses, apartments, schools, retailers, churches, health care, sewer, water, power including generation, paved roads, fire stations, hospitals, schools
Proposed Initial Trial Area
Nat Mendelsohn had a dream. A city that was going to rival Los Angeles, in 320 square kilometers of Mojave desert paradise, centered around a beautiful—though not native to the desert and artificially watered, of course—park, complete with a 105,218 square meter artificial lake.
His plan was to help with the exploding population growth in the 1950’s He laid out an entire city, California City that was never built.
We now face a similar problem with all the migrants coming into the country. They have no jobs or homes.
What better place than a new land that can be developed into a rich fertile home that they can be proud to call their own. This would create new jobs not only for the migrants developing it but also for many Americans now who do not have jobs. There would a need for teachers. scientists, researchers and many more to make this a success.
If we can get this project started it will attract investors and dreamers alike.
Not A New Concept
Dubai is a prime example of what is possible. Though they are more aimed at modern society than farming it does have some good examples of how it can be done. Dubai gets its drinking water from a process of desalination using reverse osmosis. This process costs about 50 cent per cubic meter.
Water From Evaporation
We could pump water from the ocean 75 miles away. To start with we would probably need to create enclosed reservoirs systems of two pools. Either by transport or pipelines we pump water from the ocean that would through evaporation and condensation create fresh water for irrigation.
Combined with water reclamation we could use a system like Groasis to maximize every drop of water we use, https://www.groasis.com/en for an interesting, low-tech solution that is being used to counteract desertification we could start to grow more trees that are adapted to the harsh climate.
As we continue to expand, the foliage itself will start to cool the local environment creating more moisture eventually creating a self sustaining new ecosystem.
Using smart land development we could capture any rains and prevent runoff loss. A system using liquid clay sprayed into the sandy soil can help with this.
How To Recover Desert Land For Farming
- Create Berms to grow desert dwelling trees.
- Create swells in between the berms to catch rain water or water pumped in to increase the bio diversity.
- Once you have grass growing use cattle cycled through for managed grazing.
- Combined with https://www.groasis.com/en for an interesting, low-tech solution that is being used to counteract desertification.
Video that covers land management and grazing by Allan Savory
Option 1
Using managed grazing and proper water management we start at the deserts edge planting grasses and trees, slowly reclaiming land lost.
Option 2
Build green houses in the deserts near water sources. Using water sourced, evaporation and condensation expand the green houses into the local environments reclaiming desert lands and cooling the local environment inviting rains. Most all deserts have some moisture in the air already. As the plants start to grow the environment will cool. With proper management capturing all water and using it properly it would grow exponentially in a few years.
Option 3
We divert 15% fresh water that is now flowing into the oceans out into the deserts. We offer very cheap land and homes to those willing to move there and work hard to reclaim lands for farming that are now unusable. Similar projects are being implemented around the world SEE BELOW, why not the USA.
It would be Terra-forming the Earth to save our environment. We could use some of the same viable planning NASA has already researched for Terra-forming Mars to make this easy and doable.
Terra Forming Mars – Mars not possible but the Earth is for now.
BUT we have to begin now.
More than 30 percent of North America is comprised of arid or semi-arid lands, with about 40 percent of the continental United States at risk for desertification [source: U.N.]. Cities and urban areas cover 3% of the land.
Freshwater Flow Into Oceans Steadily Rising
An 18% increase found between 1994 and 2006 may indicate an acceleration of the global water cycle …
We would only need to divert 15% of the river flows to make it a workable plan. This would not impact the ocean environment at all.
You could use river flow pumps placed near the mouth of the river. The major cost would be the pipe line from the river to where the water is needed.
Some rivers already flow through deserts. You could use in river pumps along the rivers route to pump water locally to these areas.
Pipe Lines
One possible option would be to use the existing infrastructure of oil or natural gas pipe lines. Pumping oil and gas is designed to destroy nature. Lets put them to use to do something good for a change. If we could not use the pipelines themselves we could at least use their right of way already approved to piggyback new water lines onto.
Power
Solar panels and wind mill farms would power the facilities and offset the impact of running large pumps. You could sell any excess power generated to the grid as a source of income for the project.
How To Pay For Plan
Environmental Impact Tax on ALL imports
Each foreign factory whether American owned or foreign owned importing products to America will be evaluated and issued environmental level of 0 to 10 for their production based on:
a. Emissions level
b. Waste disposal
c. Local environment/habitat infringement
d. Safety standards
e. Work place conditions
The tax on their imports will be directly proportional to their level. Each factory will be reviewed by a team of scientists also paid through the tax program itself.
The USA presently imports over $2.4 trillion worth of goods per year. If we could only charge a tax of .5% on all imports it would be $5 billion per year. We could construct a large water line from one side of the USA to the other for less.
The #GreenSands will start to pay for itself after a few years in new livable land areas and increased crop production.
Negative Impacts
There would be a loss of natural habitats for some desert dwelling creatures. While many could adapt to the new environment some would need to be transplanted. The world wide gains of a new flourishing green land outweigh the loss of the desert habitats for a few.
Other sources of information:
Israel has developed technology for electric planes. This same technology can be used for pumps, tractors, cars, trucks and other equipment needed for developing a new city.
Desert Greening – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_greening
Israel Land Reclamation – https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reclamation-of-man-made-desert/
Sahara Forest Project – https://www.dogonews.com/2012/3/23/can-the-sahara-forest-project-turn-the-desert-into-an-oasis
China’s Greening of the Vast Kubuqi Desert – http://time.com/4851013/china-greening-kubuqi-desert-land-restoration/
USA Free Desert Land – of 1877 https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Desert%20Land%20Entries.pdf
More Crops For Africa – https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10293-more-crops-for-africa-as-trees-reclaim-the-desert/
Ethiopia Turns Wasteland Into Fertile Farms – https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/once-a-desert-ethiopia-turns-land-into-fertile-farms/
Trees and crops reclaim desert in Niger – Africa & Middle East – https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/world/africa/11iht-niger.4549045.html
NASA scientist is behind idea to use water from the Great Lakes
Great Lakes water piped to Southwest ‘our future,’ says NASA scientist
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/10/great-lakes-water-piped-southwest-our-future-says-nasa-scientist/100301326/
What If Boston Shipped All Its Snow To Water-Starved California?
https://www.vocativ.com/culture/science/boston-blizzard-california-drought/index.html
Concern Over Water Shortages for Existing Farms
The Water Crises Aren’t Coming—They’re Here
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22627850/global-water-crisis/
What Happens to the U.S. Midwest When the Water’s Gone?
The Ogallala aquifer turned the region into America’s breadbasket. Now it, and a way of life, are being drained away.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/08/vanishing-midwest-ogallala-aquifer-drought/
The Great Midwestern Overdraft
https://waterfm.com/the-great-midwestern-overdraft/
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jun/30/how-build-city-step-by-step-diy-guide
https://www.quora.com/How-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-small-town-to-house-5-000-people
https://www.citylab.com/life/2012/05/how-do-you-put-price-tag-brand-new-city/2026/
Types Of Pumps – Zero Emissions
These pumps would use water or the rivers flow to operate. The pumps themselves would take no fuel and have zero emissions. These types of pumps would not have power enough for large distances but would work locally with desert flowing rivers.
Water Wheel Driven Pump
The water wheel would turn a standard pump.
Pulser Pump – runs on water and air pressure alone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulser_pump
Hydraulic ram pumps – water pump powered by hydropower.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram
Herons Fountain – using river water to re-fill pump chamber.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heron%27s_fountain
Rife Ram Hydraulic Pumps – driven by river flow.
https://www.riferam.com/pumps.html