Page 41 - James Rodger Fleming - Fixing the sky

each reader of the book, must have “an earnest desire to save the world,” must
“apply in person,” and must be willing to enact a life-affirming story that puts
them in accord with the world. Ishmael reminds us that stopping pollution or
cutting down on carbon emissions is not in itself an inspiring goal, but thinking
of ourselves and the world in a new way is. By seeking to have a minimal impact
on the planet, environmentalists align themselves with the values of Leaver cul-
ture. The climate engineers, however, in the name of stopping climate change, are
the consummate Takers.

Science fiction

Ultimate control of the weather and climate embodies both our wildest fantasies
and our greatest fears. Fantasy often informs reality (and vice versa). NASA man-
agers know this well, as do Trekkies. The best science fiction authors typically
build from the current state of a field to construct futuristic scenarios that reveal
and explore the human condition. Scientists as well often venture into flights of
fancy. Although not widely documented, the fantasy–reality axis is a prominent
aspect of the history of the geosciences. The chief distinction is that the fiction
writers provide a moral core and compass.
An occasional whimsical story of rainmaking in the nineteenth century
has given way to such a flood of science fiction that accounts of weather and
climate control alone could fill a volume. The plot of the science fiction film
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) revolves around a heroic and unilateral
engineering response to a global environmental emergency. When a swarm
of meteors pierces the Van Allen radiation belt and sets it on fire, the Earth
is threatened by imminent “global warming” and possible mass extinctions.
With the Arctic ice cap disintegrating and Africa on fire, with world tempera-
tures rising quickly and the end of civilization nigh, the commander of a new
state-of-the-art atomic submarine (with Cadillac tail fins) proposes to extin-
guish the fires by launching a nuclear missile into space to cut off the burning
radiation belt from the Earth. When United Nations scientists reject the plan
as too risky, the commander takes unilateral action against the will of what
he deems to be overcautious government representatives and elected officials.
Thwarting various attempts to stop him, by saboteurs, a giant octopus, and a
religious fanatic who believes it is God’s will that the world end, the subma-
rine commander fires the missile and saves the world, proving that he was right
all along. The television series also featured many episodes with geophysical
threats and geoengineering responses.

24 | StorieS of Control