Requirement-driven economy can be prioritized and targeted. A market-driven economy, on the other hand, is directed only by the quasi-gravity of prior investment, so it is not responsive to nonmonetary stimuli, data streams not vested, not weighted by current investmment. Projects of a planetary scale can only be accomplished by global planned economy, for projects so big must be emergency contingents.

Humanity will not cooperate en masse unless universal threat is perceived. To rely on the stochastic vagaries of a free market economy under deadline conditions would be folly, for we the people (about to get our collective ass bit) will not stand for the delay while the money market recognizes the new conditions, and shakes itself out, to provide financing arrangements. If we need to build a lot of global plumbing in a hurry, to avert catastrophe, that's a public works project. It's not a business proposal for sale, nor a bond issue for investment, it's something we have to get done right away, if we have to chop off the heads of some moneybags standing in the way, and argue the financing later. Dig?

Global thermal runaway in the atmosphere is what you must call fire, in every meaningful sense of the word. Excuse me, this establishment is on fire. Our planet is subject to conflagration, under certain extreme conditions, and it is just such extremity we must work to prevent. Sincerely yours, the fire department. The fire department does not require title deeds nor easements nor rights of way. Coming through.

Normally, the most effective way to extinguish a burn front is to shock it cold with liquid nitrogen. Nitrogen there's plenty of. Water is second best, but more rapidly available in most circumstances. The best method of aerial delivery of water or liquid nitrogen to a flame front is by airship, larger ones of which will carry a liquid air plant as part of ship's gear, providing the liquid nitrogen. Aircraft, meaning in this instance helicopters, cannot stand still very well without perturbing the air locally, as airships can do. Less aerodynamic turbulence is needed for station-keeping with an airship. Moderately strong updrafts can be combated with adjustable lift, by adjusting the ship to fall just as fast as the wind is pushing up. It does not serve your purpose, to arrive at a fire in a tempestuous wind, so airships are less intrusive than aircraft at a forest fire.

CO2 balloons designed to melt on passage of a flame front may be sewn in advance of the fire, though their effectiveness is limited. The chill from a liquid nitrogen drop is gone inside an hour, but when dropped on a flame front it will paint it black. Vegetation will shatter and defoliate, decreasing the effective height exposed to ignition.

Airships can be chained, free or tethered, to provide a hose run back to the nearest useful water reservoir. At the water distribution center flies the aerial water tank, from which hangs the distribution hoses, to nozzles in the smaller aerostats which maneuver into close contact with the flame front. That's the way we do it. Wind speeds from fire storms, or high natural winds, which cause excessive oscillations in tether aerostats, will negate use of this technique. Most aerostats also are not designed for direct contact with a flame front, making this dangerous work. Yet no other technique is more effective against large scale fires, and there is no known method to deploy large pipelines as quickly as with airships.

Johnny Thunderbird http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/b/u/bugzappr http://blscommunity.myway.com/bls/hydrelect http://blscommunity.myway.com/bls/airalert http://www.oocities.org/jthunderbird http://www.nternet.com/~jthunderbird