Polar Geoengineering Projects Unlikely to Stop Melting, May Harm Ecosystem: Report

The scientists say projects like sea curtain and aerosol injections are risky for environment and expensive 

Five of the most developed geoengineering ideas are unlikely to help the polar regions from melting. A new study titled “Safeguarding the polar regions from dangerous geoengineering: a critical assessment of proposed concepts and future prospects” by Frontiers in Science found that these ideas can harm ecosystems, communities, international relations, and the chances of reaching net zero by 2050.

These ideas are currently being considered for use in Antarctica and the Arctic. These ideas include sea curtains, which means that flexible structures will be put at the seabed to prevent warm water from reaching and melting the ice shelves, pumping seawater onto disappearing sea ice to thicken it, or injecting aerosol particles into the stratosphere to reflect more sunlight and reduce warming. 

None of the ideas are feasible on the ground.

According to the report, none of the ideas were found to currently benefit from real-world testing as these polar engineering projects would require human presence in the region, and it is one of the harshest environments to work in. Each of the ideas proposed was also found to be damaging the environment. The risks include ozone depletion and change in global climate patterns. 

The report found that each of the projects proposed will cost at least $10 billion for the setup and maintenance, and the most expensive of all were sea curtains, which were projected to cost $80 billion over the 10 years for an 80 km structure. There is also currently no governance framework to regulate aerosol injections or sea ice management.

“These ideas are often well-intentioned, but they‘re flawed,” said Professor Martin Siegert from the University of Exeter, who is also the lead author of the study. “As a community, climate scientists and engineers are doing all we can to reduce the harms of the climate crisis—but deploying any of these five polar projects is likely to work against the polar regions and the planet.”

Geoengineering can shift focus from the urgent issues

According to the research, scientists believe that it is important to do explorative research, but the focus on these geoengineering projects can shift the focus from the deep systemic changes needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions. They argue that these proposals can risk the monetary and splitting of resources when the time is of the essence. 

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