Geoengineering Has No Solution for Sea Level Rise

In a series of studies conducted by Chinese researchers, it was determined that even the most advanced and futuristic methods of geoengineering our planet's climate cannot curb the anticipated rise in sea levels.

Computer models at this point show that the average height of the sea will increase constantly over the coming decades, as more and more ice melts, and is added to the ocean.

As this happens, low-lying countries will suffer the consequences, and there is apparently nothing that the international scientific or political communities can do to stop this.

For some time now, geoengineering has been touted as one of the possible solutions for pulling ourselves out of our predicament, NewScientist reports.

In short, the concept refers to long-term action plans that would see heavy modifications being brought to our planet's climate at a global scale.

One possible method would be injecting special particles in the atmosphere, that would reflect incoming sunlight back into space, stopping the greenhouse effect.

Another approach could be “fertilizing” the oceans by using iron particles. This would allow phytoplankton blooms to increase in frequency.

These microorganisms are capable of gobbling up massive amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but they have an absorption limit too.

“You can't slap the brakes on sea levels now. There's too much inertia in the system,” explains Beijing Normal University expert John Moore.

He and his crew created advanced computer simulations of the five most important geoengineering schemes proposed to date. They calculated the results for an application period that spanned the entire 21st Century.

The data were combined with three additional factors, and namely the levels of GHG emissions that nations will emit in the future (low, medium, or very high).

The studies revealed that no geoengineering method had the ability to prevent countries that were situated at sea level from being constantly flooded, and eventually submerged.

At recent UN climate summits, developing nations and island countries tried to obtain climate mitigation measures, but their voice were drowned by those of the “developed”, oil company-driven world.