michael_w_busch, 1 month ago

@bruces @nyrath For a way to extend how long Earth remains habitable that requires many orders of magnitude less energy:

Li et al. 2009, "Atmospheric pressure as a natural climate regulator for a terrestrial planet with a biosphere" - https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0809436106

Locking nitrogen in rock decreases the atmospheric pressure; which reduces the greenhouse effect and gives more time before the oceans boil (but reduce the N2 pressure too far and everything catches fire, then the oceans boil).

60sRefugee, 1 month ago

@michael_w_busch @bruces @nyrath A really advanced civilization could mine the sun's core for helium and fuse that into material for building megastructures.

michael_w_busch, 1 month ago

@60sRefugee @bruces @nyrath I simply note the very large difference in scale between "change a planet's atmosphere" and "take a star apart".

isaackuo, 1 month ago

@bruces

Another option is to smash stuff into the Moon. I mean, smashing enough stuff directly into Earth to alter Earth's orbit tends to ... ehh ... make the entire exercise moot.

But smash stuff into the Moon, and Earth gets tugged along for the ride without the Judgement Day side effects.

You could set up a mass launcher on Iapetus to shoot ice projectiles at the Moon...