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Imaginary_Medium t1_iuvzy4m wrote

Reply to comment by alien_from_Europa in UN: Global warming to melt major glaciers by 2050, including Yosemite's by BollocksAsBalls

Is that sustainable, or will it just buy time for the fortunate few?

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alien_from_Europa t1_iuw3rch wrote

It can be sustainable, but costs are high and they need to be built on 25 acres of land near the shoreline to prevent the possibility of leaking into aquifers. You can make more of them if they're designed like ocean oil refineries that bring water to shore by pipeline, but that would cost even more. However, I can't imagine the costs being a problem by 2050 when facing no glaciers.

The main issue is the brine that is produced at the outflow. It's pretty bad for the environment. Solving that is essential before building thousands of them.

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Imaginary_Medium t1_iuywu6u wrote

It sounds very complicated. Thank you for explaining the process. I assume governments or the very rich are the only ones who could do that on a large scale.

I will of course be long dead by 2050, but I still fear for those who come after, having to cope with all that.

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