Polar geoengineering: risks and realities

Frontiers in Science Viewpoint

The false promises of polar geoengineering (research)

Prof Mike Hulme (University of Cambridge, UK) -- Climate engineering research risks overstating science’s capacity to deliver solutions, as the checkered history of climate control shows political, ethical, and cultural barriers can outweigh technical feasibility.

Frontiers in Science Viewpoint

Polar geoengineering: not so simple

Prof Frans Berkhout (King’s College London, UK) -- Polar geoengineering, originally proposed to simplify global climate governance, is instead fraught with technical, logistical, political, and economic complexities that make it highly impractical.

A new paradigm from the Arctic

Prof John C. Moore (University of Lapland, Finland), and colleagues -- Instead of rejecting geoengineering research, a “compassionate harm reduction” paradigm could address urgent cryosphere risks through rights-based studies integrating scientific and traditional knowledge.

POLICY OUTLOOK

Published on 30 Sep 2025

-- coming soon --

Sophie Crump (Inuit Circumpolar Council Greenland, Greenland) -- The rights, leadership, and knowledge of Inuit Peoples must be foundational to geoengineering and other climate policies affecting their Homelands, ensuring genuine participation and avoiding unfair burdens.

Key points

Several “geoengineering” concepts proposed for the polar regions fail to meet the essential criteria required for them to be considered responsible approaches toward limiting the escalation of climate-related risks. These criteria include feasibility and likelihood of success.

Geoengineering in sensitive polar regions would cause severe environmental damage and comes with the possibility of grave unforeseen consequences.

Polar regions have complex environmental protection and governance frameworks that would probably reject polar geoengineering fieldwork and large-scale projects.

Polar geoengineering would require hundreds of billions of dollars in initial costs, plus decades of ongoing maintenance, both of which are presently unavailable and highly unlikely to be secured over necessarily short timescales to address climate change.

Geoengineering could be used by bad actors as a strategy to create the illusion of a climate solution without committing to decarbonization.

Minimizing risk and damage from climate change is best achieved by mitigating its causes through immediate, rapid, and deep decarbonization, rather than attempting interventions in fragile polar ecosystems.

For all readers

Boat full of tourists explore huge icebergs drifting in the bay near Cuverville island, Antarctic peninsula

EXPLAINER

Frontiers for Young Minds

Geoengineering is not the solution to limiting climate impacts in polar regions

A summary of the lead article in a Q&A format, with a figure and a video.

Polar Geoengineering: A Risky Experiment That Will Not Fix Climate Change

A version of the lead article written for—and peer reviewed by—kids aged 8-15 years.

News

Well-publicized polar geoengineering ideas will not help and could harm, warn experts

Five of the most-publicized polar geoengineering ideas are highly unlikely to help the polar regions and could harm ecosystems, international relations, and reduce our chances of reaching net zero by 2050. (Photos: Prof Martin Siegert, University of Exeter, UK; Dr Heidi Sevestre, Arctic Council, Norway).

Re-freezing the North Pole? A giant sea curtain? High-tech efforts to save the Arctic are doomed, report finds

Moonshot proposals to save the planet’s ice sheets, including giant underwater sea curtains and refreezing Arctic ice, are gaining popularity as the planet heats up. But none of the most high-profile ideas are viable — worse, they may cause irreparable harm, according to a new study.

Mad science or a radical revolution - could refreezing the Arctic actually work?

Plans to save ice in the polar regions and "repair" the climate using technology are a "flawed" distraction from the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases, according to a new scientific assessment.

Geoengineering is not going to save the poles from climate change

A review of the five main methods proposed for cooling down the poles or slowing the loss of ice concludes they are all wildly impractical, wouldn't work, or both.

Polar geoengineering is dangerous and far too costly, say scientists

Underwater curtains and ice thickening divert attention from cutting fossil fuel use, warns climate research group.

Protect Arctic from 'dangerous' climate engineering, scientists warn

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.

High-tech plans to save polar ice will fail, new research finds

Co-author of the lead article, Prof Steven Chown of Monash University, discusses the article's findings and argues that rapid decarbonization remains the only effective path forward.

Polar 'geoengineering' projects won't protect environment against climate change, scientists warn

Proposed "geoengineering" projects designed to reduce the impacts of global warming in polar regions would be ineffective, extremely costly and environmentally dangerous, researchers have warned.

Geoengineering to curb global warming: aiming to save the polar regions but ultimately harming them

A warning has been issued that 'polar geoengineering' technologies proposed to protect the Arctic and Antarctic, which are at the forefront of the climate crisis, could pose another threat rather than being a solution.

Underwater curtains, glass beads, aerosols: the false technological promises of climate fixers

Geoengineering technologies designed to protect the climate are ineffective, expensive, and risky, scientists warn. They represent false hope: only reducing emissions can have lasting and effective results.

These climate hacks to save the poles could totally backfire

Researchers evaluated five geoengineering concepts proposed for Earth’s polar regions and found them to be “environmentally dangerous.”

Giant curtain in the ocean, ice cap drilling: Scientists denounce the dangers of polar geoengineering projects

More than 40 polar scientists are publishing a critical assessment of five methods for manipulating the Arctic and Antarctic to mitigate the impacts of global warming.

DER SPIEGEL

Why geoengineering probably won't save the polar ice

The ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is disappearing at record speed. Researchers warn against relying on technical solutions such as underwater barriers.

Scientists warn against plans to artificially cool polar regions

Proposals to artificially cool the world’s polar regions — to stem the impact of global warming — are both expensive, unfeasible and potentially dangerous, according to new scientific research.

DAILY MAIL

Controversial geoengineering proposals would cause IRREVERSIBLE damage in Antarctica, experts warn - so, from 'dimming the sun' to 'sea curtains', what are the most divisive plans being floated?

A team of more than 40 scientists are sounding the alarm bell over risky geoengineering projects being considered at the north and south poles.

THE TIMES

Scientists warn polar ice-fixing plans are ‘flawed and dangerous’

Proposals from seawater-pumping to giant underwater walls are criticised as unworkable, unsafe and a distraction from tackling the root cause of climate change.

Dimming the sun ‘could disrupt weather patterns’

Review finds that climate-engineering projects are ‘well-intentioned but flawed’ and risk damaging the environment.

Glacier on the sea near the coast. Arctic ocean, North Pole.

SCIENCE MEDIA CENTRE

Polar geoengineering – an assessment of several concepts

Several concepts for polar geoengineering have been proposed, including stratospheric aerosol injection to reflect sunlight, building ‘sea curtains’ to protect ice from warming water, and deliberate thickening of sea ice. How do the proposals stack up?

Well-publicised polar geoengineering ideas will not help and could harm, warn experts

Five well-publicised polar geoengineering ideas are highly unlikely to help the polar regions and could harm ecosystems, communities, international relations, and our chances of reaching net zero by 2050.

Experts warn against five polar geoengineering ideas

A team of international scientists is urging caution against five of the most-discussed polar geoengineering ideas, stating they are highly unlikely to help the polar regions and could harm ecosystems, international relations, and reduce our chances of reaching net zero by 2050.