Climate Action
9 Crazy Ways to Tackle Climate Change
July 25, 2025
By now, most of us have heard of all the classic climate change solutions. But after hearing the same things over and over again, it would be nice to mix it up a little. So, let’s explore some of the more outlandish ideas that the human imagination has dreamed up.
Some of these solutions, although unorthodox, have surprising potential, while others sound more like the plans of a Batman villain. Either way, it’s both entertaining and enlightening to see what ideas scientists have been cooking up, so let’s dive in and take a look at 9 of these strategies:
1. Superpowered Trees
With the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere steadily climbing every year, scientists have been looking for ways not only to stop producing greenhouse gases, but to clear the air of what’s already there. That’s where the artificial tree comes in, a fascinating solution devised by Klaus Lackner, a professor of engineering at Arizona State University (ASU).
These artificial trees soak up carbon dioxide from the air using absorbent disks, and later release the collected CO2 inside of their chambers, purifying and processing it to be put to other uses. Unlike real trees, these don’t need to be exposed to sunlight in order to photosynthesize, making them much more efficient; a cluster of twelve of these column-shaped mechanical trees could capture up to one ton of carbon dioxide a day!
2. Putting Snow Cannons on Blast
It’s no secret that Antarctica’s ice sheets are on the verge of collapse, and one of the many solutions to this problem is taken straight from a ski resort: snow cannons. Supposedly, giant versions of these machines could use seawater to generate trillions of tons of artificial snow and blast it onto glaciers, stabilizing Antarctica’s western ice sheet. But this is not as simple as it may sound.
Implementing this machinery would be an incredibly disruptive undertaking, requiring tens of thousands of wind turbines and the extraction of massive amounts of ocean water. Not to mention the harsh climate, which would likely wreck havoc on the technology. For now, we can conclude that snow cannons aren’t a feasible solution.
3. Cloud Ships: A Bright Idea, Or Just Fluff?
While most scientists are focused on more traditional solutions, some have turned their focus to the sun itself and thought…why not try turning down the brightness?
The result of this bizarre idea is marine cloud brightening (MCB), a geoengineering technique involving the use of special ships to spray sea salt particles into clouds that hang over the ocean, making them whiter and brighter so that they reflect more sunlight back into space. This, in theory, reduces the amount of heat absorbed by the water below, cooling down the planet.
The key words here are in theory. So far, simulations have shown mixed results, and no one knows what kind of effect it could have on marine ecosystems. Ultimately, most scientists consider MCB a distraction from the real issue. It is probably safe to say that trying to block out the sun won’t do anything to deal with what actually drives climate change.
4. Too Hot? Try Grabbing the White Paint
On the topic of brightening, some scientists have tossed around the idea of using something as basic as color choice to grapple with the heat. Taking inspiration from the iconic whitewashed villages of countries like Greece and Spain, they have hypothesized that painting buildings, cars, and even airplanes white could help cool us down and cut down our energy consumption.
The “world’s whitest paint,” developed by Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, reflects an impressive 98.1% of sunlight, and has the potential to be a viable cooling solution. What’s more, unlike other methods, this paint radiates all the heat back into space, rather than keeping it trapped in the atmosphere and potentially making the Earth even hotter. The use of air conditioning increases households’ energy consumption by 36% on average, and reducing this could conserve massive amounts of energy.
5. Solar Roadways: Too Good to Be True
About a decade ago, an aptly-named company called Solar Roadways announced its visionary plan to solve the global energy crisis: implanting solar panels directly into roads and highways to produce electricity.
It sounded so easy, almost a no-brainer. There are millions of miles of roads all across the world; why not use all that empty space for something good? But as people began to test this revolutionary technology, it became clear that it was wildly impractical.
Roads take a lot of wear and tear, which could damage the solar panels. Additionally, lying solar panels flat on the ground significantly decreases their ability to absorb sunlight, compared to solar farms, where panels are angled towards the sun. Although solar roadways sound like something out of a sci-fi utopia, they turned out to be a no-go.
6. A New Wave of Renewable Energy
Wave energy is the process of harnessing the kinetic energy generated by ocean surface waves. It is predicted to be able to produce almost ten times the annual energy consumption of Europe. Despite concerns about building costs and potential impact on marine ecosystems, these challenges are by no means impossible to overcome. In fact, significant progress has already been made towards widespread use of this renewable energy source.
For example, the United Kingdom (UK), a global leader in wave and tidal power technology, is home to O2, the world’s most powerful tidal turbine, developed by the Scottish company Orbital Marine Power.
In recent years, O2 has begun exporting clean energy to onshore power grids, a major milestone for this technology. As more countries follow the UK’s lead, we could be seeing a lot more wave energy in the near future.
7. Seed Bombs: A Little Goes a Long Way
Nurturing and rebuilding green spaces is crucial to helping the planet, and seed bombs are an efficient and low-tech way to do it. These balls of clay, compost, and seeds are designed to be thrown onto empty land, “exploding” on impact, and, once exposed to moisture, can germinate and beautify barren landscapes. It’s a charmingly hands-off approach, allowing nature to take its course without too much human intervention.
Seed bombs have had an immense impact on areas ravaged by deforestation and wildfires, such as Australia, where drones have successfully dropped seed bombs in remote areas devastated by bushfires and flooding.
They’re tiny, but the way they have revolutionized both gardening and rewilding efforts make them a valuable way to contribute to a greener future.
8. Bringing Back the Ice Age
Some climate solutions are reasonable. Others are a bit more out there. But the proposed resurrection of the woolly mammoth truly takes the cake.
A group of geneticists from Harvard University has developed a plan to clone elephant cells that contain small components of synthesized mammoth DNA. As hard as it might be to believe, there is some logic behind all of this. The Arctic tundra is covered with permafrost containing carbon from dead plant life, and as it thaws, we are at risk of unleashing millions of years worth of carbon dioxide into the air. Mammoths, supposedly, may be able to help with this.
Here’s how: before their extinction, mammoths trampled shrubs and uprooted trees, creating a grassland ecosystem. Grass absorbs less sunlight than trees, keeping the ground temperature cooler and therefore preventing CO2 from being released. Although this is a very creative idea, it might be a little too Hollywood for most of us!
9. Plastic-Eating Enzymes: A Microscopic Army with Massive Power
On the more promising side: bioengineers are developing plastic-eating enzymes. Plastics can take up to one thousand years to fully decompose, but with this new experiment in structural biology, we could soon have a much more efficient way to deal with our plastic pandemic.
Plastic pollution poses an enormous threat to wildlife, and its manufacture is a significant producer of greenhouse gases. On top of all that, plastic also has negative impacts on our health. For example, research on microplastics and their additive chemicals has found that they are linked to issues like inflammation, heart attacks, cancers, infertility and cell death.
Researchers are currently experimenting with bacteria containing enzymes that can break down plastic, modifying them so that they are able to consume plastic products at much faster rates. In a few years, we could have an army of enzyme-packed bacteria on our side in the fight to break down plastic waste.
The Moral of the Story
After an adventure through the wildest ideas the scientific community has devised to grapple with climate change, one thing is for certain: the creativity of humanity is boundless. We may have caused the decline of our planet, but we are more than capable of saving it as well.
While researchers work on large-scale solutions, there’s plenty the rest of us can do in the meantime. It could be as simple as signing a petition, like the Global Plastic Treaty, which calls to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040. Or, if you’d like to take even more action, you could register for the Great Global Cleanup, or help us plant trees with our Canopy Project. Whatever you do, remember that planet Earth needs whatever help we can contribute!
This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.
