Geoengineering the Poles: Why Scientists Warn Against Arctic Climate Interventions

As the world's climate change speeds up researchers are experimenting with polar geoengineering extreme climate manipulations in the Arctic and Antarctic. While some consider these methods as possible means to chill the planet and others caution, they might lead to serious damage to the environment and take the focus away from tried and tested climate solutions such as carbon reduction and net zero.

What Are Polar Geoengineering Techniques?

These are the proposed polar regions interventions to counter climate change, geoengineering by changing ice, ocean or atmospheric systems or modifying the conditions controlling those systems. The goal of geoengineering is to cool the planet and/or retain ice cover in these regions.

Techniques include thickening sea ice and barricading warm water movement and even sending reflective particles into the atmosphere. Although most of them are popularized as emergency responses to rapidly warming poles, all these methods have aroused controversy, particularly among scientists, due to their risks, costs and potential side effects.

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What Are Five Geoengineering Concepts

An international assessment that just got published reviewed five polar geoengineering plans that had recently caught international interest:

• Stratospheric aerosol injection particulates (such as sulphates) into the upper atmosphere in order to bounce back sunlight to space prior to it warming the Earth
• Sea curtains or walls a physical wall in the ocean which keeps warm deep waters away from ice shelves.
• Sea ice management active increase in the reflectivity of sea ice by either adding seawater or reflective materials (e.g. glass microbeads) onto the surfaces of ice.
• Basal water removal extraction of water beneath the glacier at an increasing rate to slow down the flow of the ice sheet and inhibit melting.
• Ocean fertilization supplementing polar ocean waters with nutrients, including iron to initiate algal blooms that would sequester CO₂ from the atmosphere when sinking after their growth.

What Are Impacts?

The analysis gives warnings against the grave unintended consequences that could come with these strategies. It includes the disruption of habitat, alteration of ocean chemistry, threats to wildlife, contamination from reflective particles and irreversible effects on ice ecosystems.

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Most proposals are tremendously expensive and sometimes need infrastructure in extremely rough and remote areas. They may also take decades to scale. Such can dampen the political drive to curb greenhouse gas emissions and thus leaving it open to complacency. Critics argue that solutions should deal much with the root causes of climate change by burning fossil fuels. 

What Dr. Felicity McCormack Said?

Dr Felicity McCormack, a senior lecturer involved in the evaluation at Monash University, said that while research into such geoengineering methods could open up potential benefits and hazards it must not be construed to mean resources should be diverted away from proven methods of tackling climate change.

Time money and expertise are scarce goods, hence best spent toward net zero. She cautioned, that speculative techno-fixes must not distract from emission reduction which is solidly proven essential. 

What Are Plans for Fighting Climate Change?

As cited in the review, rapid and deep reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases all over the world is basically the core of effective climate action in countries. Those instruments that are presently available renewables, energy efficiency, reforestation and clean technology are looking more reliable, cost-efficient and less risky compared to the unproved interventions. 

Countries should devote themselves to establishing good governance frameworks, monitoring programs and environmental protections for the polar countries. Science based measures with cooperation on an international scale serve as the secure path forward. If geoengineering becomes research only it is not an alternative fix to the immediate steps already known to work.

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