Earth’s coldest regions help regulate the global climate, but climate change-driven warming is destabilizing polar ice at alarming rates. Could large-scale geoengineering proposals protect against ice-sheet loss and slow down sea-level rise?
Siegert et al. critically assess five proposed technologies for effectiveness, feasibility, consequences, cost, and governance challenges, concluding that none are currently viable and several pose serious ecological or equity risks. Their lead article analyzes the scientific and policy dimensions of polar geoengineering research, with perspectives ranging from caution to advocacy, and emphasize the continued urgency of rapid decarbonization.
Read the article:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/science/articles/10.3389/fsci.2025.1527393/full
Citation:
Siegert M, Sevestre H, Bentley MJ, Brigham-Grette J, Burgess H, Buzzard S, Cavitte M, Chown SL, Colleoni F, DeConto RM, Fricker HA, Gasson E, Grant SM, Gulisano AM, Hancock S, Hendry KR, Henley SF, Hock R, Hughes KA, Karentz D, Kirkham JD, Kulessa B, Larter RD, Mackintosh A, Masson-Delmotte V, McCormack FS, Millman H, Mottram R, Moon TA, Naish T, Nath C, Orlove B, Pearson P, Rogelj J, Rumble J, Seabrook S, Silvano A, Sommerkorn M, Stearns LA, Stokes CR, Stroeve J and Truffer M. Safeguarding the polar regions from dangerous geoengineering: a critical assessment of current projects and future prospects. Front Sci (2025) 3:1527393. doi: 10.3389/fsci.2025.1527393
