Simran Joshi
Scientists have proposed a bold solution to counter the melting of Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, known as the “Doomsday Glacier,” which poses a severe risk of catastrophic flooding in coastal cities worldwide. Researchers from the University of Chicago’s Climate Systems Engineering Initiative suggest installing a massive underwater curtain or employing artificial thickening techniques to slow the glacier’s melt.
With global sea levels potentially rising by up to 10 feet, putting cities like New York and Miami in peril, these geoengineering ideas aim to delay disastrous outcomes. However, experts caution that such measures are not alternatives to addressing climate change itself.
Save the Thwaites Glacier with This Radical Plan
Scientists have come up with a genius geoengineering scheme to slow the melting of the Thwaites Glacier, which now threatens global sea levels so catastrophically. The idea is to place a gigantic underwater curtain or cool the bedrock beneath it to hinder the intake of warm ocean currents. This effort is being sponsored by the Climate Systems Engineering Initiative of the University of Chicago and is targeted to be the beacon before primary US coastal cities, such as New York or Miami, catastrophically flood.
A glacier, eroding at incredible speed due to climate change, could contribute to an increase in sea levels of up to 10 feet. If this approach succeeds, it could be the only thing capable of holding back the worst that global warming has to offer. Regardless of this, researchers say that the endeavor should start right now or else desperate and last-minute decisions will have to be made.
Risks and Challenges of Geoengineering
The proposal offers a solution to the problem, but it’s very problematic. For example, it threatens to damage the structure of the glacier. Its action of injecting seawater onto the glacier to freeze and thicken the ice might introduce salinity that could weaken it. Additionally, this process would require a tremendous amount of energy, making it costly and resource-intensive. It is estimated that it would cost around $6 billion annually to deploy on a large scale.
But most geoengineering projects are still largely far-fetched. Experts are divided on their feasibility. Some hold that such project ideas would only present a dangerous distraction from an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. Climate economist Gernot Wagner argues that glacial geoengineering provides only temporary relief but is no permanent solution to the root causes of climate change.
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