Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes of clouds across the sky
a vigorous canvas of imagination

It has cooled here in the City of Trees, at least for a bit. Windy, stormy, yet little rain. Lightning strikes ignite new fires in the forests and rangeland. Ketchum is under fire watch, with a huge blaze west of town.

Strange weather of this summer. Extreme drought and fires in the West. Too much rain, flooding in Texas. Temps in the Midwest have been over 100 degrees. A massive hurricane is churning its way to Mexico and Belize. Is it global warming? Naturally-occurring climatic change? Or a mix of both?

A scientist in New Mexico has suggested an idea to help cool the earth. Oliver Wingenter proposes to fertilize oceans so that more plankton will grow. Plankton gives off certain chemicals that creates cloud formation, thus more clouds, the more sunlight reflected back into space.

Other ideas from other scientists include launching giant mirrors into space and having fleets of jets spray out aerosols, both to try and deflect the sun’s rays.

Would they work? Would they cause problems we cannot now foresee?

Geo-engineering. Humans trying to use or modify the earth’s environment to create a better habitat, a better life. Nothing new. We’ve been damming rivers and mining for ages. Changing the land. Civil engineering.

Now, researchers are looking to the sky, as thinkers, writers, and artists have done for ages. Moving beyond what we know and can readily see, staring at this canvas with brush in hand. Modern day Michelangelos reaching for the hand of God.