“it’s disgusting, and there will be a price to pay.”

What about the One-Eye One-Horn Flying Purple People Eater?

The Native American mound builders. Pitcher mounds are miniature versions.

Thinking of Galloping Gertie?

Nanotube cables of course.

The top of the cable to be geosynchronous would have to be at approximately 24,000 miles up were the orbital speed is 1000mph, matching the earth’s rotation. Any material below the brake would fall and wrap around the earth as it rotated.

You literally need a sky-hook to build the cable. Manufacture the cable at geosynchronous orbit lowering it as the length grows. However the lower end will be traveling at less than orbital speed pulling your manufacturing platform down. So you also build one up, which will be going faster than orbital speed…

Geo-synchronous orbit for earth is 24,000 miles up. Any brake in the cable below that and it would fall to earth, in theory wrapping around the earth.

Zap them with lasers.

Use a equivalent of a vertical mag-train. Once you’re above the atmosphere you’re in theory only limited by the electrical power you can tap into and stress on the ‘rails’.