Overview
- More than 40 researchers, writing in Frontiers in Science, assessed five high-profile proposals for the Arctic and Antarctic, including stratospheric aerosol injection, undersea “sea curtains,” surface brightening with glass beads or ice thickening, subglacial water pumping, and ocean fertilization.
- Using criteria on effectiveness, feasibility, environmental impact, cost, and governance, the analysis concludes none of the approaches meets the bar for responsible deployment.
- Estimated price tags start at roughly $10 billion per project, with sea‑curtain concepts cited at around $80 billion over 10 years for about 80 kilometers of structure.
- Identified risks include ozone damage, shifts in global climate patterns, oxygen depletion in oceans, contamination from subglacial operations, severe logistical hurdles, and the need for multinational coordination absent clear rules.
- The authors warn such projects could divert resources from decarbonization; they note only stratospheric aerosol injection might offer limited effectiveness but would require years of testing and carries global risks, as debate continues over ARIA‑funded research and research governance.