Protect Arctic from ‘dangerous’ climate engineering, scientists warn

Controversial approaches to cooling the planet are unlikely to work, as anyone sensible might expect anyway. Who gets to decide on such pointless efforts? The real purpose can only be to fool people into believing desperate measures are needed for their survival, and then accept whatever policies are thrust upon them linked to that false objective.
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Plans to fight climate change by manipulating the Arctic and Antarctic environment are dangerous, unlikely to work and could distract from the need to ditch fossil fuels, dozens of polar scientists have warned. [Talkshop comment – what need?]

These polar “geoengineering” techniques aim to cool the planet in unconventional ways, such as artificially thickening sea-ice or releasing tiny, reflective particles into the atmosphere, says BBC News.

They have gained attention as potential future tools to combat global warming, alongside cutting carbon emissions.

But more than 40 researchers say they could bring “severe environmental damage” and urged countries to simply focus on reaching net zero, the only established way to limit global warming. [Talkshop comment – unproven BBC bias].

Geoengineering – deliberately intervening in the Earth’s climate system to counter the impacts of global warming – is one of the most controversial areas of climate research.
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But some more radical geoengineering ideas, like reflecting sunlight “are dealing with the symptoms of climate change rather than the causes,” said lead author Martin Siegert, professor of geosciences at the University of Exeter.

For supporters, it is worth exploring techniques which could help rein in rapidly rising temperatures, which are already bringing severe impacts for people and ecosystems around the world. [Talkshop comment – another evidence-free assertion].

But for opponents, the risks are simply too great – particularly for the fragile polar regions, about which much remains unknown.

The scientists behind the new assessment, published in the journal Frontiers in Science, reviewed the evidence for five of the most widely discussed polar geoengineering ideas.

All fail to meet basic criteria for their feasibility and potential environmental risks, they say.
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One idea BBC News recently looked at was a plan to pump seawater over the surface of Arctic sea-ice in winter to thicken it, giving the ice a better chance to survive the summer.

But to cover 10% of the Arctic could require about 10 million seawater pumps, one estimate suggests.

Full article here.