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"Regaining lost land is too expensive. Prevention is the only solution
for countries that do not have enough resources," said Hama Araba Diallo Mr.Diallo's statement begs the question is the restoration of deserts too expensive for man to attempt. Studies show that deserts cost the world economy in 2010 over $42 Billion in lost productivity. With the continued growth of deserts and droughts this figure will continue to increase. INdRA estimates that 20-35,000 miles of evaporation/updraft channels, at an average cost of $1 million per mile, or a total cost of $20-35 billion, can begin the process of converting even historical deserts into productive areas. Of course costs will vary according to the region and its desertification challenges. In horse latitudes areas bordering tropical zones, and therefore suffering from hot high pressure air masses and high winds which move moisture into the ITCZ, the solution will be longer term than rain shadow desert regions. Evaporation stimulation and management over the long term will facilitate a shifting of the horse latitudes higher and higher into areas where reduced direct solar radiation have typically engendered colder conditions, such as Argentina and Canada. Our stimulations show that every decade of a fully operational INdRA program would move the range of the ITCZ by one degree of latitude. This process would continue for 10 or 15 decades, and would result in near tropical hydrology in 35-40 latitudes. Seawater could be transported an average of 400 miles to generate salt marshes in the heart of desert regions. The first 100-200 miles of transport would be in pipes that would eventually open to evaporation/updraft channels which terminate in salt marshes. Each channel could effectively deliver millions of acre feet of fresh water to cloud level each year. During the first few years due to prevailing wind, sub-optimum lapse rates and heat conditions we estimate that 90-95% of this water would be blown back to the ITCZ. The moisture that remains in the region would stimulate modest increases in rainfall, resulting in an equally slight increase in regional hydrology. In subsequent years a gradual increase in the regions hydrology would become the new norm and nature would incorporate these changes slowly. Tropical species of weeds and wildlife would slowly expand in these regions, Within 1 or 2 decades the nature of farming in the region would also begin to shift. Energy utilization would shift from water momentum to other uses. Rain shadow deserts will require relatively more expensive but faster solutions. Seawater could be delivered to these regions which are generally upgrade, either through pipelines tunneled through mountain ranges, or pumped up to sufficiently high elevations to feed runoff channels. In many cases existing abandoned mines, and other pre-existing structures can be modified to form seawater channels through mountains. Seawater sources could be augmented by giant fog catchers at high elevations on the wet side of the mountains, which can be directed to enhance transported seawater. These channels would be permanent structures, but within a decade the hydrology of these regions would be changed dramatically. Within 2 decades a widespread implementation of INdRA programs would add $300-400 billion to world productivity by amelioration of deserts and arid conditions. These savings are then combined with the multiple trillion dollars savings, that INdRA facilitated increases in weather control and predictability through reduced drought, wind speed, and dangerous storm conditions. Demonstrate that INdRA is both a natural eco-friendly, and extremely cost effective solutions to world hydrology. We say no Mr.Diallo, desert restoration is not too expensive to do, desert restoration is too valuable not to do.
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