Geoengineering:
Existing State Specific Laws and
impacts upon human health,
the Eco-system & Economics
by: Alexandra May Hunter
alexandrahunter@att.net
1
Introduction
An overview and analysis of
currently in effect state statutes on air
pollution and how any proposed
geoengineering and/or climate
intervention plans or programs would
impact current laws, human health, the
Eco-system and state economies
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Geoengineering
•
Deliberate large-scale interventions in the
earth’s climate system to diminish climate
change or its impacts according to the General
Accounting Office (“GAO”) GAO Report –
Climate Change – A Coordinated Strategy
could Focus Federal Geoengineering Research
and Inform Governance Efforts, September,
2010 GAO 10-903. (also referred to as climate
engineering, climate remediation and climate
intervention)
3
Geoengineering
• GEOENGINEERING DESCRIBES ACTIVITIES SPECIFICALLY
AND DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO EFFECT A CHANGE IN
THE GLOBAL CLIMATE WITH THE AIM OF MINIMIZING OR
MASKING ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE CHANGE (ALLEGED
GLOBAL WARMING). SCHEMES OR EXPERIMENTS
INCLUDE ANY AND ALL ATTEMPTS TO ALTER, REMEDIATE,
OR MASK CLIMATE CHANGE OR GLOBAL WARMING BY
REMOVING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE
OR BY SOLAR RADIATION MANAGEMENT (“SRM” – ALSO
REFERRED TO AS MARINE CLOUD WHITENING), WHICH
INJECTS AEROSOLS, PARTICLES, CHEMICALS, GASES,
VAPORS, SULFUR, BARIUM, ALUMINUM OXIDE
(ALUMINA), CHAFF, SALT OR OTHER COMPOUNDS INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE TO REFLECT A PORTION OF THE SUN’S
RADIATION BACK INTO SPACE, THEREBY REDUCING THE
AMOUNT OF SOLAR RADIATION (DIRECT SUNLIGHT),
REACHING THE EARTH. These schemes have the potential to
change the weather, and if ongoing any period of time, change the
climate.
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A FEW TYPES OF “Risky” GEOENGINEERING
(Climate Remediation) SCHEMES
Solar Radiation Management
Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering
Stratospheric Aerosol Injection
Tropospheric Aerosol Geoengineering
Tropospheric Aerosol Injection
Carbon Capture & Sequestration
Sunscreens / Solar Umbrellas / Sunshades
Space Mirrors / Solar Sails / Self-Lofting CHAFF Balloons
Cloud Whitening Experiments (Using Salt)
Ocean Iron or Lime Fertilization
Weather Modification & Mitigation
Using Aircraft or Rockets
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Aerosol Pollution
• “Solar geoengineering is the idea that you
could, in principle, reduce the rate of climate
change or reverse it, by making the earth more
reflective, reflecting away more sunlight. For
example, by putting reflective particles,
aerosol pollution if you like, in the upper
atmosphere… An over-riding fact, of course, of
any of these technologies is that no technology
alone will enable environmental protection or
social protection…”
By: Dr. David Keith, Geoengineer, Harvard from his speech at the May 2122, 2012 National Academy of Sciences meeting in Washington, DC.
6
Aluminum Oxide
• aluminum oxide Al2O3, occurring naturally as various minerals;
used in the production of abrasives, refractories, ceramics, catalysts,
to strengthen dental ceramics, and in chromatography. a chemical
element, atomic number 13, atomic weight 26.982. High levels in
the body can be toxic.
• alumina, synthetically produced aluminum oxide, Al2O3, a white or
nearly colourless crystalline substance that is used as a starting
material for the smelting of aluminum metal. It also serves as the
raw material for a broad range of advanced ceramic products and as
an active agent in chemical processing. The properties for which
alumina is well known, including low electric conductivity,
resistance to chemical attack, high strength, extreme hardness.
Activated alumina is a porous, granular substance that is used as a
substrate for catalysts and as an adsorbent for removing water from
gases and liquids.
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CHAFF (U.S. Air Force)
•
A radar countermeasure in which aircraft or
other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces
of aluminum, metallized glass fiber or plastic,
which either appears as a cluster of secondary
targets on radar screens or swamps the screen
with multiple returns. (CHAFF = Aluminum
Coated Fiberglass Particulates)
8
Welsbach Seeding Patent 5003186
• Stratospheric Welsbach seeding for reduction of
global warming
• A method is described for reducing atmospheric or
global warming resulting from the presence of heattrapping gases in the atmosphere
• Seeding the atmosphere with metallic particles
• The “Welsbach Materials” Oxides of metals
• Aluminum oxide
• Thorium oxide
9
Examples of state, federal &
international laws
The Law
10
Existing State Specific Laws on Air Pollution
Arizona
• Title 49 Chapter 3 Article 1 49.401.01 12. "Conventional air pollutant"
means any pollutant for which the administrator has promulgated a
primary or secondary national ambient air quality standard
• Title 49 Chapter 3 Article 2 49.421.1. "Air contaminants" includes
smoke, vapors, charred paper, dust, soot, grime, carbon, fumes, gases,
sulfuric acid mist aerosols, aerosol droplets, odors, particulate matter,
wind-borne matter, radioactive materials, or noxious chemicals, or any
other material in the outdoor atmosphere.
• Title 49 Chapter 3 Article 2 49.421.2 "Air pollution" means the
presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air contaminants or
combinations thereof in sufficient quantities, which either alone or in
connection with other substances by reason of their concentration and
duration are or tend to be injurious to human, plant or animal life, or
cause damage to property, or unreasonably interfere with the
comfortable enjoyment of life or property of a substantial part of a
community, or obscure visibility, or which in any way degrade the
quality of the ambient air below the standards established by the
director.
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Arizona Air Pollution Statutes Continued
• Title 49 Chapter 3 Article 1. 49.401.01
•
2. “Adverse effects to human health" means those effects that result
in or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an
increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness,
including adverse effects that are known to be or may reasonably be
anticipated to be caused by substances that are acutely toxic,
chronically toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, neurotoxic
or causative of reproductive dysfunction.
• 3. “Adverse environmental effect" means any significant and
widespread adverse effect that may reasonably be anticipated on
wildlife, aquatic life, or other natural resources, including adverse
impacts on populations of endangered or threatened species or
significant degradation of environmental quality over broad areas.
12
California
• HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE – HSC DIVISION 26. AIR
RESOURCES PART 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND
DEFINITIONS CHAPTER 2. Definitions. 39013.
“Air contaminant” or “air pollutant” means any discharge, release, or
other propagation into the atmosphere and includes, but is not limited
to, smoke, charred paper, dust, soot, grime, carbon, fumes, gases, odors,
particulate matter, acids, or any combination thereof.
• HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE – HSC DIVISION 26. AIR
RESOURCES PART 2. STATE AIR RESOURCES BOARD
CHAPTER 3.5. Toxic Air Contaminants. ARTICLE 2. Definitions
39665.
(a) “Toxic air contaminant” means an air pollutant which may cause or
contribute to an increase in mortality or in serious illness, or which may
pose a present or potential hazard to human health.
13
Florida
• Florida Statute XXIX Chapter 403. Environmental Control. 403.031
Definitions.
• (7) “Pollution” is the presence in the outdoor atmosphere or waters of the
state of any substances, contaminants, noise, or manmade or human-induced
impairment of air or waters or alteration of the chemical, physical,
biological, or radiological integrity of air or water in quantities or at levels
which are or may be potentially harmful or injurious to human health or
welfare, animal or plant life, or property or which unreasonably interfere
with the enjoyment of life or property, including outdoor recreation unless
authorized by applicable law.
• (8) “Pollution prevention” means the steps taken by a potential generator
of contamination or pollution to eliminate or reduce the contamination or
pollution before it is discharged into the environment. The term includes
non-mandatory steps taken to use alternative forms of energy, conserve or
reduce the use of energy, substitute nontoxic materials for toxic materials,
conserve or reduce the use of toxic materials and raw materials, reformulate
products, modify manufacturing or other processes, improve in-plant
maintenance and operations, implement environmental planning before
expanding a facility, and recycle toxic or other raw materials.
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Georgia
•
Georgia Rules for Air Quality Control- Chapter 391-3-1-.01 Definitions
(c) “Air contaminant” means solid or liquid particulate matter, dust, fumes, gas, mist,
smoke, or vapor, or any matter or substance either physical, chemical, biological, or
radioactive (including source
material, special nuclear material, and by-product material); or any combination of any of
the above.
(d) “Air pollution” means the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air
contaminant
•
Georgia Code-Title 12, Conservation and Natural Resources, Chapter 9,
Prevention and Control of Air Pollution
Article 1. Air Quality- 12-9-3. Definitions
(3) "Air contaminant" means solid or liquid particulate matter, dust, fumes, gas,
mist,
smoke, or vapor or any matter or substance either physical, chemical,
biological, radioactive, including without limitation source material, special nuclear
material, and by-product material, or any combination of any of the above.
(4) "Air pollution" means the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air
contaminants.
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Montana
•
75.2.103: Definitions
(1) "Air contaminant" means dust, fumes, mist, smoke, other particulate
matter, vapor, gas, odorous substances, or any combination of those air
contaminants.
(2) "Air pollutants" means one or more air contaminants that are present in
the outdoor atmosphere, including those pollutants regulated pursuant to
section 7412 and Subchapter V of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401,
et seq.
(3) "Air pollution" means the presence of air pollutants in a quantity and
for a duration that are or tend to be injurious to human health or welfare,
animal or plant life, or property or that would unreasonably interfere with
the enjoyment of life, property, or the conduct of business.
•
49-1-101 Right of protection from personal injury.
Besides the personal rights mentioned or recognized in other statutes and
subject to the qualifications and restrictions provided by law, every person
has the right of protection from bodily restraint or harm, personal insult,
defamation, and injury to the person's personal relations.
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Montana statues, continued
•
Public Health
•
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50-1-101. Definitions.
(2) "Condition of public health importance" means a disease, injury, or other
condition that is identifiable on an individual or community level and that can
reasonably be expected to lead to adverse health effects in the community.
• (5) "Institutional controls" means legal or regulatory mechanisms designed to
protect public health and safety that:
(a) limit access to or limit or condition the use of environmentally contaminated
property or media;
(b) provide for the protection or preservation of environmental cleanup measures; or
(c) inform the public that property or media is or may be environmentally
contaminated.
•
(11) "Public health services and functions" means those services and functions
necessary to promote the conditions in which the population can be healthy and safe,
including:
(a) population-based or individual efforts primarily aimed at the prevention of
injury, disease, or premature mortality; or (b) the promotion of health in the
community, such as assessing the health needs and status of the community through
public health surveillance and epidemiological research, developing public health
policy, and responding to public health needs and emergencies.
17
Oregon
• ORS Chapter 468-A AIR QUALITY
•
468A.005 Definitions for air pollution laws
“Air contaminant” means a dust, fume, gas, mist, odor, smoke, vapor,
pollen, soot, carbon, acid or particulate matter or any combination thereof.
“Air contamination” means the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more
air contaminants which contribute to a condition of air pollution.
(4) “Air contamination source” means any source at, from, or by reason of which
there is emitted into the atmosphere any air contaminant, regardless of who the
person may be who owns or operates the building, premises or other property in, at
or on which such source is located, or the facility, equipment or other property by
which the emission is caused or from which the emission comes.
(5) “Air pollution” means the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more
air contaminants, or any combination thereof, in sufficient quantities and of such
characteristics and of a duration as are or are likely to be injurious to public welfare,
to the health of human, plant or animal life or to property or to interfere
unreasonably with enjoyment of life and property throughout such area of the state
as shall be affected thereby.
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Rhode Island
Proposed Statute Prohibiting Geoengineering
• State of Rhode Island H 5480, an Act Relating
to Health and Safety-Geoengineering
• The Geoengineering Act of 2015
• Introduced February 12, 2015
• By Representatives: MacBeth & McLaughlin
• Referred to: House Environmental & Natural
Resources
• Status-pending further analysis/comments/review
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The Constitution & Amendments IX and X state
• Preamble: Public health can never be legally and constitutionally
detached from or given a life independent of the Preamble, the
Constitution and Law because this is the ultimate source of their
authority in the first place.
• “The enumeration in the constitution of certain rights shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. The
powers not delegated by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved by the States respectively, or to the People.”
• These Amendments underline that the People of the United States are
acknowledged to have specific “certain” “unalienable” “reserved” and
“retained” rights, and that these rights are divinely conferred, and
naturally inherent, and therefore cannot be restricted, limited or
infringed upon by any government, in any way, but must respected,
protected and enforced by all governments and that government exists
for the chief purpose of defending and enforcing these rights. The
most basic essential and obvious right is the right of the American
people to choose what happens to their own bodies
20
50 USC 1520 (a)
• The federal law 50 USC 1520 (a) provides that The Secretary of
Defense may not conduct (directly or by contract)—(1) any test
or experiment involving the use of a chemical agent or
biological agent on a civilian population; or (2) any other testing
of a chemical agent or biological agent on human subjects
except for any peaceful purpose (emphasis added) that is related
to a medical, therapeutic, pharmaceutical, agricultural, industrial,
or research activity.
• No reasonable person would ever construe the activity of
unmarked airplanes or any airplanes or other methods of
dispersment for that matter of aerosol spraying the population
with toxic chemicals for research purposes as peaceful.
• On the contrary, such activity is a direct hostile and
dangerous act of aggression.
21
CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF MILITARY
OR ANY OTHER HOSTILE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES-The “ENMOD Treaty”
• United Nations General Assembly in September 1976
• Signed in Geneva 5/18/77, Entered into force 10/5/78,
Ratification by U.S. President 12/13/79, U.S. ratification
deposited at New York 1/17/80
• Realizing that the use of environmental modification techniques
to be intended for peaceful purposes
• Recognizing, however, that military or any other hostile use of
such techniques could have effects extremely harmful to human
welfare
• Desiring to prohibit effectively military or any other hostile use of
environmental modification techniques in order to eliminate the
dangers to mankind from such use
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Human Health Impacts
23
Impacts to health
•
Fine particulate sulfate and alumina nano-size particulates can enter the
cardiovascular & respiratory systems, resulting in disease or even death.
•
Aerosols could deplete the ozone layer leading to higher levels of UVB
radiation and contribute to air pollution. UVB causes non-melanoma
skin cancer and plays a major role in malignant melanoma development.
•
Negatively impacting the protective ozone layer and by decreasing
sunlight/opacity which would cause Vitamin D deficiencies, which are
linked
to
rickets,
asthma,
allergies,
increased
cancer,
hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis, depression, diabetes, and other health
problems, according to Mayo Clinic.
•
Nano sized aluminum causes neurodegenerative & development disease
including Alzheimer's, dementia, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Parkinson's,
causes birth or developmental effects, brain and nervous system effects,
and reproduction, and fertility problems
24
Published studies
• Link between Aluminum and the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease:
The Integration of the Aluminum and Amyloid Cascade Hypotheses
by: Masahiro Kawahara and Midori Kato-Negishi. 1/5/11, International
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Aluminum is a widely recognized
neurotoxin that inhibits more than 200 biologically important functions and causes
various adverse effects in plants, animals and humans. The relationship between
aluminum exposure and neurodegenerative diseases, including dialysis
encephalopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism dementia in the
Kii Peninsula and Guam, and Alzheimer’s disease.”
•
Aluminum Induced Immunoexcitotoxicity in Neurodevelopmental and
Neurodegernative Disorders by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, 2012, Current Inorganic
Chemistry, Bentham Science Publishers. “Aluminum can both trigger and promote
neuronal injury…aluminum L glutamate and nano-scaled aluminum, both of which
have high absorption from the gut and passage into the brain, as well as higher
toxicity profiles than aluminum alone.”
25
More published studies
• Krewski D. et al. Human health rRevell PA. The biological effects of
nanoparticles. Risk assessment for aluminum, aluminum oxide, and
aluminum hydroxide. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2007; 10 (suppl
1): 1-269
• Tomljenovic L. Aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease: after a century, is their
a plausible link. J Alzheimer’s Disease 2011; 23:567-598
• Perl DP, Good PF. Aluminum, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the olfactory
system. Ann, NY Academy Science 1991; 640:8-13
• Walton JR. Aluminum in hippocampal neurons from human with
Alzheimer’s disease. Neurotoxicology 2006; 27:385-394
• Exley C. A molecular mechanism for aluminum-induced Alzheimer’s
disease. J Inorg Biochem 1999;76:133-140
• Verones B, Oortgiesen, M. Neurogenic inflammation and particulate matter
(PM) air pollutants. Neurotoxicology 2001 Dec;22(6):795-810.
Neurotoxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency
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The Environment
Eco-system
Impacts
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Environmental Issues
• Air quality impact/ph of soil changes
• Brighter clouds that are less efficient at releasing precipitation.
Aerosol effects can lead to a weaker hydrological cycle,
suppression of rainfall, droughts, reductions in regional
rainfall, decreased precipitation and evaporation, altered
monsoon rains and winds, less efficient removal of pollutants
• Impact to all plant growth inclusive of forests, changes in
stand density, decreased growth, increased tree mortality &
susceptibility to disease caused by abiotic stress. Loss of
forests will further prevent overall reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions, because trees and plants absorb CO2 & aluminum
is a known fire accelerant, thus more forest fires.
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Geoengineering, weather modification &
forest fires
• Hotter burning fires because of the flammable metals, e.g;
aluminum, unusual illnesses or ailments from smoke emitting
noxious smoke and fumes
• Can cause unprecedented fire behavior
• Winds can be produced at selected locations and altitudes,
which can then be used in establishing weather patterns.
Moreover, large regions of the atmosphere can be lifted to an
unexpectedly high altitude to create cross-winds. Weather
modification is then possible by altering upper atmosphere
wind patterns by constructing one or more moving plumes
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Aluminum Toxicity & Bees
• Bees rely heavily on cognitive function and aluminum
is a known neurotoxin with links, for example, to
Alzheimer's disease in humans.
• The significant contamination of bumblebee pupae by
aluminum raises the intriguing specter of cognitive
dysfunction playing a role in their population decline
• Pupae were heavily contaminated with aluminum
Exley C, Rotheray E, Goulson D (2015) Bumblebee Pupae
Contain High Levels of Aluminium. PLoS ONE 10(6):
e0127665.doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0127665
30
Economic Impacts
•
Economic impact to agriculture & farming, trees,
water supplies, property, life, direct sunlight, fish
populations, wild life, game, all natural resources,
tourism & recreation, electric supplies
•
Illnesses could overburden the health care system
through decreased worker productivity, increased
sick days & pharmaceutical costs
31
Atmospheric Climate Scientist &
Particle Physicist
• Dr. Jasper Kirkby, of CERN in Geneva, Suisse during
his June 4, 2009 presentation at CERN, titled:
“Cosmic Rays & Climate”.
• Dr. Kirkby is on the record that geoengineering is in
full force & effect, “these are clouds which are
seeded by jets dumping aerosols into the
upper atmosphere”
• Rainfall is inhibited to produce drought when jet
aircraft dump aerosols into the atmosphere
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Conclusion
• The general public is unaware of the risks associated with
Geoengineering. Geoengineering violates existing state
statues and national laws and international treaties. Air
quality must be monitored to ensure such programs are not
implemented without public consent due to the secrecy
surrounding this issue to date. The public should be
included in all proposed decisions to implement, restrict, or
prevent SRM, Geoengineering, weather modification, and
other schemes. We, the people, due to the risks involved,
require participation, review, and oversight over these rules
and regulations along with Environmental Impact
Statements for each proposed scheme, along with their
cumulative and synergistic impacts.
33
Unmarked Jet-Rear Horizontal Stabilizer of tail
specially retrofitted with aerosol spray nozzles
34