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Pitch

I believe that we can cool down the Earth by watering Sahara desert. We would grow plants which produce oxygen and thus decrease CO2 numbers


Description

Summary

Sahara desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. But Sahara wasn’t always a desert. http://www.messagetoeagle.com/changed-green-sahara-desert/ It had lakes and rivers that dried up, and consequently the fertile land disappeared.

We would build several desalinization plants (or lots of small ones because big ones take a lot of time to build) on the edge of Sahara where it is near the sea. From there we would build pipelines for water (like we build to transport oil) and we would make thousands of lakes across the desert. Then we can water larger surfaces, grow plants or trees and produce food. Furthermore, the water from the lakes would evaporate (because it will be under the influence of the Sun) and it would create rain that will also cool down the Earth and water the plants (watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnKgwnn7i4) -> I believe that this would also solve poverty and hunger in Africa (to a lesser extent).

And of course this solution is called the Final Solution because I believe it will solve every problem that we have in the world today, such as hunger in Africa where approximately 1 billion people are starving and if we feed them, there won't be so much refugees (60% of the refugees are economic refugees looking for a better lifehttps://www.rt.com/news/330284-economic-migrants-eu-refugees). Furthermore, it will solve poverty in the bigger part of Africa as well and it will solve the rising sea levels problem (and Maldivi island will not be submerged). Moreover, it will solve/reduce ice caps melting as well as keep the ocean from becoming acid. And due to the fact that Africa will have water to water their plants, the rest of the world would sell them compost, tractors, cattle, seeds and therefore the financial crisis would be resolved.
 


Proposals

Grow crops with the Seawater Greenhouse concept 

Next Generation Greenhouse


What actions do you propose?

These solutions basically add-on my vision and create farmable land in greenhouses though that would be more expensive. I believe that it is solving multiple SDGs at with one strike and thus maximising resources used.


Who will take these actions and which types of actors are involved?

This problem should be resolved on a global scale as it is a global problem. Therefore, I believe that the United Nations as an organization along with governments should help the world become a better place by getting involved in this cause and by providing funds. And also other organization (Humanitarian, ecological) such as Greenpeace could provide us with the volunteers or with raising funds for this actions. Also, the help of individuals driven by the need to help others is necessary. 
The proposal author will play a guidance role, advisory role or act as a supervisor of the work being done.


Where will these actions be taken and how could they scale?

The location is Sahara desert. A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. But Sahara wasn’t always a desert. http://www.messagetoeagle.com/changed-green-sahara-desert/ It had lakes and rivers that dried up, and consequently the fertile land disappeared because Sun was shinning for 18 hours a day turning those lakes and rivers into rain. 
Actions will scale from one African country to another till we cover the bigger part of the desert.


In addition, specify the countries where these actions will be taken.

Mauritania


Country 2

Morocco


Country 3

Algeria


Country 4

Mali


Country 5

Niger


Impact/Benefits:


What impact will these actions have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

My solution is called the Final Solution because I believe that it will solve every burning problem that we have in the World today such as hunger in Africa where approximately 1 billion people are starving and if we teach them how to produce food for themselves, there will not be so much hunger or refugees in the world (according to the UN, 60% of the refugees are economic refugees that are looking for a better life). Furthermore, it will solve poverty in the bigger part of Africa because they will be able to sell fruits they produced but do not need and it will solve the rising sea levels problem because sea water will be converted to irrigate the plants and trees (and Maldives island will not be submerged because of the rising sea levels that threatens their existence). 

When the Sahara becomes fertile again, plants and trees will produce oxygen while removing CO2 from the air thus decreasing the temperature of the planet and solving Global Warming. 


What are the most innovative aspects and main strengths of this approach?

My solution is called the Final Solution because I believe that it will solve every burning problem that we have in the World today such as hunger in Africa where approximately 1 billion people are starving and if we teach them how to produce food for themselves, there will not be so much hunger or refugees in the World. 

Moreover, it will reduce/solve ice caps melting as well as keep the ocean from becoming acid. Also, due to the fact that Africa will have the ability to produce crops and earn money, the rest of the world will be able to sell them fertilizers, seeds, cattle and tractors to better their production and therefore the financial crisis would be resolved.

Also, after they earn money and secure the seeds and fertilizers for the next season, Africans would be able to buy mobile phones, cars and other things from the rest of the world with a big market potential of 1 billion people.


Costs/Challenges:


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

My estimates would be that it would cost 70-100 billion USD over several years. I cannot figure out an exact number because of a lot of variables (number of desalination plants, seeds price, wages for workers) involved.

Challenges to implementing this solution would be a necessary global consensus and gathering the funds. Another big challenge is ongoing wars happening in some of the countries of the Sahara desert. However, most of these wars are happening because of the lack of resources and for water which this solution would solve. This solution creates only a trade off with achieving other solutions because it will take a lot of time for policy makers and money that could potentially be invested in other solutions.


About the Authors

I am currently studying at the faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb which gives me a lot of free time to work on saving the humanity. Before college I finished grammar school which gave me a vast knowledge on different subjects. My previous work experience is working in a supermarket stacking shelves for 8 hours a day which proves that I am a hard worker. I want to make a positive dent in the World, I want to do serious things with my life because we are all here for a reason, mine is to change the World. I live in Croatia and I will play a guidance role, advisory role or act as a supervisor of the work being done.


References

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/changed-green-sahara-desert/

http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/press/07.htm

https://www.rt.com/news/330284-economic-migrants-eu-refugees

http://www.livescience.com/55469-2016-could-be-hottest-year-on-record.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jul/11/we-just-broke-the-record-for-hottest-year-9-straight-times

http://climate.nasa.go


What enabling environment would be required in order to implement this proposal?