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Mitigating ice sheets and mountain glaciers melt with geoengineering.
Feiteng Wang1, Yida Xie2, Lin Wang1
1Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
The Science of the Total Environment
|January 16, 2025
Summary
Innovative geoengineering may help slow ice sheet and mountain glacier melting. However, societal acceptance, ethical concerns, and technical challenges must be addressed for effective climate change mitigation.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Environmental Engineering
- Glaciology
Background:
- Current emission reduction measures are insufficient to halt ice sheet and mountain glacier melting.
- Cryospheric changes pose significant threats due to global climate change.
- Geoengineering presents a potential avenue for mitigating these changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review geoengineering techniques for ice sheets and mountain glaciers.
- To analyze the efficacy, risks, and limitations of these techniques.
- To inform policy development for climate change mitigation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of geoengineering approaches.
- Analysis of existing research on efficacy, risks, and limitations.
- Examination of ethical and societal implications.
Main Results:
- Geoengineering can reduce ice melt, but faces significant environmental risks and technical hurdles.
- Societal acceptance is a critical factor, more so than technical feasibility.
- Ethical dilemmas concerning intergenerational responsibility and resource allocation are prominent.
Conclusions:
- Geoengineering requires careful consideration of socio-ecological and economic factors.
- Recommendations include prioritizing energy conservation, integrating strategies, and enhancing albedo modification.
- Establishing transnational climate governance and robust ethical/legal frameworks is crucial for equitable application.
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