Why in the news?

  • Researchers and Scientists opined that Polar Geoengineering projects can lead to severe environmental damage with far-reaching global consequences.

Polar Geoengineering

  • What is it?:
    • Geoengineering: Deliberate large-scale interventions in Earth’s climate system to counteract global warming.
    • Polar Geoengineering: A sub-set of geoengineering strategies specifically targeting the Arctic and Antarctic regions to slow ice melt, preserve permafrost, and regulate polar climate feedback.
  • Rationale behind:
    • Polar regions are warming 4 times faster than the global average (Arctic amplification).
    • Melting of ice sheets (Greenland, Antarctica) contributes to sea-level rise.
    • Permafrost thaw releases methane & CO₂, accelerating climate change.
    • Loss of sea ice reduces albedo effect, causing further warming.
  • Key Techniques of Polar Geoengineering:
    • Solar Radiation Management (SRM):
      • Marine Cloud Brightening: Spraying sea salt into clouds to reflect more sunlight.
      • Stratospheric Aerosol Injection: Releasing reflective particles (sulfates, calcium carbonate) into the stratosphere above poles.
      • Ice Brightening: Spreading reflective microbeads or powders on ice surfaces to increase albedo.
    • Cryosphere Preservation:
      • Artificial Ice Thickening: Using pumps to spray seawater over ice sheets during winter to refreeze.
      • Glacier Stabilisation: Building underwater walls or berms at glacier grounding lines (e.g., Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica).
      • Geoengineering Permafrost: Covering tundra with reflective materials or reintroducing grazing animals to compact snow and slow thaw.
    • Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) in Polar Regions:
      • Enhancing ocean fertilization (e.g., iron fertilization in Southern Ocean) to stimulate phytoplankton growth and carbon sequestration.
  • Potential Benefits:
    • Slows ice sheet collapse and sea-level rise.
    • Reduces methane emissions from thawing permafrost.
    • Restores albedo effect and reduces global heat absorption.
    • Acts as a temporary climate emergency measure while mitigation continues.
  • Challenges and Risks:
    • Environmental Risks: Unintended side effects on polar ecosystems, marine chemistry, or weather patterns.
    • Moral Hazard: Reduces incentive for emission cuts.
    • Uneven Impacts: SRM could alter monsoons, precipitation, and global climate systems.
    • Governance Vacuum: No international legal framework to regulate geoengineering.
    • Technical Feasibility: Large-scale deployment remains untested and costly.
  • Way Forward:
    • More scientific research and small-scale field trials with strict safeguards.
    • Establish a global governance framework under the UN or IPCC.
    • Integrate geoengineering as supplementary, not a substitute, to emission reduction.
    • Foster international collaboration through the Arctic Council, Antarctic Treaty, and Paris Agreement frameworks.