Google Sidewiki entry by Russell

So let me get this straight: all we have to do to retard Global Warming is to turn the planet into a desert? Oh, wait, we're doing that already!

in reference to:

"By looking at the other side of the equation, the two researchers discovered that desertification was not necessarily all bad - in fact, it may have retarded global warming by as much as 20%. The desert reflects sunlight and releases infrared radiation, which has a cooling effect. And in a world in which desertification is continuing at a rate of about six million hectares a year, that news might have a significant effect on how we estimate the rates and magnitude of climate change."
- Desertification may have retarded global warming | Science and Environment | Jerusalem Post (view on Google Sidewiki)