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Should we attempt to "terraform" / green the Sahara desert
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:53 am
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:53 am
The below tweet got me thinking about terraforming Mars. It seems like an extremely difficult concept to achieve, and obviously very far in the future. But people like Musk do seem very intent on working towards colonizing Mars. It wouldn't be in our life times, but it does seem like a next step in our space exploration and technological goals after a colony on the moon.
However, wouldn't it make sense to attempt a somewhat similar feat on earth and to learn how to do things on that scale? If someone is truly serious about terraforming Mars, working out some of the concepts here makes sense, doesn't it? Greening large parts of the Sahara would, however, have likely significant ecological impacts on the entire world, including us in the Gulf Coast.
(I use the term terraform in quotation marks because I understand it does not apply to these feats on earth, just using it as a relatable term)
However, wouldn't it make sense to attempt a somewhat similar feat on earth and to learn how to do things on that scale? If someone is truly serious about terraforming Mars, working out some of the concepts here makes sense, doesn't it? Greening large parts of the Sahara would, however, have likely significant ecological impacts on the entire world, including us in the Gulf Coast.
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here. (I use the term terraform in quotation marks because I understand it does not apply to these feats on earth, just using it as a relatable term)
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Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:55 am to Fun Bunch
Would probably have some.bad consequences but would theoretically eliminate a lot of hurricanes on eastern us right?
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:56 am to Fun Bunch
This post was edited on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:56 am to Fun Bunch
No more Saharan Dust for us
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:57 am to Fun Bunch
dust from the sahara sustains the rain forests in south america. everything is connected
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:58 am to Fun Bunch
I assume the benefit of trying to do it on Mars rather than Earth is that there wouldn't be hundreds of organisms potentially impacted by changing the environment of such a large section of a continent. We won't care about disrupting the natural environment of another planet.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:58 am to Fun Bunch
Not a great idea. You can't just "terraform" one part of a planet - you do the whole thing or nothing at all. Terraforming the Sahara would have worldwide weather effects well beyond what it is claimed we have seen with "global warming" and "climate change". You hint at this in your post, but it would be much uglier for the rest of the world than you're giving it credit for.
On Mars, if we crash an ice-loaded asteroid into its atmosphere to set off warming and add moisture, no one other than some extremist activists will care.
On Mars, if we crash an ice-loaded asteroid into its atmosphere to set off warming and add moisture, no one other than some extremist activists will care.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:59 am to cgrand
quote:
dust from the sahara sustains the rain forests in south america. everything is connected
The rainforests existed during the green period of the Sahara, didn't they?
Posted on 10/16/25 at 8:59 am to cgrand
quote:
dust from the sahara sustains the rain forests in south america. everything is connected
and all we are is dust in the wind
(appropriate that a band named Kansas came up with that)
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to TigerHornII
quote:
Not a great idea. You can't just "terraform" one part of a planet -
Yeah I get that hence the disclaimer over my use of the term terraform
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to Fun Bunch
I think the challenges would be vastly different. Not saying one is more difficult than the other, but even getting Mars to a similar ecology as the Sahara desert would be a huge technological advancement. Greening the Sahara desert would require significant manipulation of the climate or significant genetic modification of fauna.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to cgrand
quote:
dust from the sahara sustains the rain forests in south america. everything is connected
Would they become the desert that sends hurricanes out, now towards the west coast?
Let's do it.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to cgrand
quote:
dust from the sahara sustains the rain forests in south america. everything is connected
Soooooo there were no rain forests in S America when the Sahara was wet? I believe this can be historically proven false.
Everything is connected, you're right about that, but the connections are a great deal more robust and damage-tolerant than modern humans like to believe.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to RohanGonzales
quote:
and all we are is dust in the wind
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:00 am to Fun Bunch
Sometime around 5,000-10,000 years ago the Sahara was a green savannah and forest. What comes around goes around.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:01 am to Fun Bunch
As a species, I don’t think we’re nearly smart enough to do this and mitigate the downside effects that will certainly come with this.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:03 am to Dadren
What would we learn in the attempt to do so? A lot of our technological advancements have come about when we as a species tried to do things on a grand scale (although admittedly obviously nowhere near this scale)
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:03 am to Fun Bunch
If anyone is a sci-fi fan, the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson is an excellent work of fiction regarding terraforming Mars. It's probably my favorite fiction series.
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:27 am to Fun Bunch
That desert keeps the desert calm.
Leave it. No one is fighting over the actual Sahara are they?
I know north of it and sub Saharan ate actual nightmares. But the sand pit the size of the USA isn’t that much of a powder keg is it?
Leave it. No one is fighting over the actual Sahara are they?
I know north of it and sub Saharan ate actual nightmares. But the sand pit the size of the USA isn’t that much of a powder keg is it?
This post was edited on 10/16/25 at 9:28 am
Posted on 10/16/25 at 9:46 am to RolltidePA
quote:
Sometime around 5,000-10,000 years ago the Sahara was a green savannah and forest. What comes around goes around.
It’s where Atlantis was
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