Planetary Engineering on Mars

Some 10 ⁹ to 10 ¹⁰ metric tons of low albedo material, transported during the course of a century to the permanent Martian polar caps, may be capable of rapidly transforming Mars to much more Earth-like conditions. Alternatively the introduction to Mars of a dark plant which grows on the polar snows might accomplish the same objective. Fortunately neither program is a practical engineering venture for the near future.