Mastodawn

Geoengineering won't save our glaciers.
Here's why.

As the cryosphere continues to deteriorate a growing chorus of voices is turning to geoengineering as a solution. Researchers have floated everything from giant underwater curtains to block warm water from reaching glaciers, to drilling holes to drain water from beneath ice sheets, to spraying reflective aerosols into the stratosphere.

Show thread

Glacierwatch

Perhaps the biggest danger isn't technical, it's political. Geoengineering could be used by bad actors as a strategy to create the illusion of a climate solution without committing to decarbonisation. Cost estimates for polar geoengineering run into the trillions, well above the estimated cost of emissions mitigation and adaptation, which carry far more co-benefits. It is widely agreed that the most effective long-term approach to slowing glacier and ice sheet melt is to cut emissions.