US Researcher Proposes Detonating Massive Nuclear Bomb Under Ocean To Save Earth

NDTV

13 hours ago

Quick Read
Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
A US researcher proposed detonating a nuclear bomb under the ocean to combat climate change.
The plan aims to confine debris and radiation while accelerating rock weathering to reduce CO2.
The study suggests a nuclear explosion could sequester 30 years of carbon emissions in one event.
A 25-year-old Microsoft software engineer has suggested detonating the world's biggest nuclear bomb under the ocean to eviscerate the carbon-absorbing rocks that make up the seabed. Published in arXiv, a non-peer-reviewed website, Andy Haverly has claimed that the move could help solve the "escalating threat of climate change" through this innovative and large-scale intervention.
"By precisely locating the explosion beneath the seabed, we aim to confine debris, radiation, and energy while ensuring rapid rock weathering at a scale substantial enough to make a meaningful dent in atmospheric carbon levels," the study highlighted.
The study claimed that every year, 36 gigatons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere every year. Using a nuclear explosion yield of 81 gigatons, scientists can sequester 30 years' worth of carbon dioxide emissions, the study claimed. The explosion would be well over a thousand times bigger than the 50-megaton 'Tsar Bomba' test, conducted in 1961 by the Soviet Union in 1961.
According to Mr Haverly, who doesn't have a background in climate science or nuclear engineering, he got the idea from Christopher Nolan's Academy Award-winning movie.
'Seeing the movie Oppenheimer really brought nuclear power to the front of my mind," said Mr Haverly as per Vice, adding: "There are elements of this idea that are already well known, like Enhanced Rock Weathering, and detonating nuclear weapons underground but combining all of these ideas has not been considered seriously before. And that's the reason I posted this paper."
Dimming sunlight
This is not the first instance when such a radical plan has been proposed to slow down climate change. The UK government is mulling a Rs 567 crore (50 million pound) experiment to dim the sunlight. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) is backing the solar geoengineering project, which has piqued the interest of scientists worldwide.
One of the experiments involves releasing tiny particles into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight. Another potential solution is marine cloud brightening in which "ships would spray sea-salt particles into the sky to enhance the reflectivity of low-lying clouds".
If successful, it could temporarily reduce surface temperatures, delaying the climate crisis and giving more time for the deep cuts in global carbon emissions needed.