Project Green Thumb

Project Green Thumb is the codename for a bioengineering and climate restoration program, jointly undertaken by the Federal Ministry for Science and Development and the Pandora Division of the Federal Armed Forces, with support and provided by the Federal Ministry for Industrial Planning and the Federal Ministry for Agriculture. The project’s scope was widened following the collapse of Iberian agricultural outputs in late 2020 to include research into soil rehabilitation. As of 2021, the project has resulted in only three official products, GT-12, and GT-42, and GT-44. A fourth and final product, BT-13 remains under a high level of secrecy, and has never officially been confirmed to exist.
== History ==
Project Green Thumb was first proposed by the Federal Ministry for Science and Development in November of 2019, following the destruction of the vast majority of plant life across continental South America as a preemptive measure to prepare for a potential cascading environmental collapse. The project officially began in February of 2020, after receiving funding and parliamentary approval, with the goal of creating a plant strain that could rapidly spread across the fertile ashlands and begin reducing atmospheric carbon with minimal human input through the use of selective breeding and genetic manipulation. 
In late 2020, the first impacts of the destruction of the South American ecosystem were felt across Europe - particularly in Iberia, which still produced the majority of European food. Reduced rainfall and periodic droughts, in tandem with depleted soil nutrients lead to dwindling food outputs, causing local food shortages, which in turn prompted greater attention from the Federation. Additionally, droughts had begun to strike France, disrupting attempts to shift food production into the Federation’s historically green interior. As a result, Project Green Thumb received additional funding, and the additional task to produce plants that could help restore depleted soils quickly.
To help, the Science and Development team received aid from Pandora Division, who joined the project as joint partners, and additional logistical and administrative support from the Ministry for Agriculture and the Ministry for Industrial Planning, who began making plans to most effectively utilise the project’s products. In early 2021, the first product - GT-12 - passed internal biohazard testing and was deemed safe for deployment, and is currently pending international approval for use. In late 2021, GT-42 and -44 were likewise deemed safe for deployment, and have already been deployed on a small scale. 
== Products ==
=== GT-12 ===
GT-12 is a modified Ceiba pentandra, incorporating genetic code from Agathis australis and Eucalyptus regnans. GT-12 is an incredibly large and fast growing tree, with white bark, tightly woven branches, and broad green leaves. It is resistant to temperature fluctuations, drought, or starvation, and its seeds are resistant to direct exposure to flames. At its fastest, the tree can reach maturity within a year of being planted, growing anywhere from between 30-50 meters within a single year, and continuing to grow up to their full potential height of over 80 meters within a second year. While resistant to temperature fluctuations and nutrient deprivation, the tree requires very rich soil, high temperatures, and a humid environment to grow at that rate, and will quickly deplete soil quality within a generation.
Once grown, the tree can theoretically live for in excess of a thousand years. 
=== GT-42 ===
GT-42 is a modified Trifolium repens, incorporating genetic code from Glycine max. GT-42 is a small, fast growing herb. When sown over a field between harvests, it helps to rehabilitate the soil by replenishing spent nitrogen without the use of fertilizers, preventing soil erosion, managing soil pH, and salinity. 
=== GT-44 ===
GT-44 is a modified Bigelowiella natans. It has been adapted for use as an ocean pH management tool. GT-44 can survive in nearly all marine conditions, excepting the extreme cold of the polar regions. When in an environment below its preferred pH, it produces and excretes a bleach-like chemical that raises local pH. The intended effect is to counter the effects of dissolved carbon dioxide in the oceans and prevent further ecosystem damage. 
=== BT-13 ===
BT-13 (Black Thumb) is a modified version of an unknown freshwater algae, possessing numerous traits in common with cyanobacteria, though it retains its trademark green colouration. Pandora Division recognizes BT-13 as an anti-agriculture biological weapon and a weapon of mass destruction. 
When deployed into a body of water, BT-13 rapidly spreads, forming a thick (up to 30cm deep) film over the surface of the water that remains cohesive and opaque even in rough waters. BT-13 will attempt to spread across the whole body of water, and begin to draw all dissolved oxygen out of the water, killing any plant or animal life inside. Once all dissolved oxygen has been consumed, the layers of the algae not exposed to atmospheric oxygen will begin to die and decompose. As BT-13 decomposes, it excretes a bleach-like chemical that drastically increases local pH, ensuring that the body of water is non-potable and unsuitable for future animal or plant life.
BT-13 is resistant to almost any environmental condition, including the saline waters of the open ocean. When dried, BT-13 remains viable for up to three years, and will begin to reproduce when wetted again. BT-13 is also sticky when wet, and can stick to the feathers of birds, allowing it to travel great distances in a short space of time.
All test samples of BT-13 were destroyed, and the exact genetic makeup was only known to Pandora Division. It is not known whether Pandora maintains stockpiles of viable BT-13 samples.
Category:PACYOA: TE
Category:European Federation
Category:TE Technology