The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ Could Flood the Earth. Can a 50-Mile Wall Stop It? Scientists have long opposed polar geoengineering. Some now believe it will be necessary.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/01/thwaites-glacier-sea-level-rise-sea-curtain/685846/?gift=hz3-sGceWBq1O6I5tAqH1yTxs_nerlI0XU-c8PaAutw

People will propose pretty much anything because they don't want to see a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel use. The worse things are, the more out-there the things they propose get to be.

78 points · 20 comments · view on lemmy.world

20 Comments

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 34 pts · 207d (3 replies)

Maybe some kind of big boat that can hold a breeding pair of every animal on the planet could be of use.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 206d (1 reply)

This time, leave the mosquitoes off the boat.

msage@programming.dev · 4 pts · 206d

They did everything they could.

But those fuckers just laid eggs. And lions had ticks.

Geo@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 206d

That never happened though.

krashmo@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 207d (1 reply)

“Fast-forward 1,000 years, the Earth will be geoengineered,” he said. “The entire climate will be regulated like a modern house—no question.” The climate may get screwed up in new ways as scientists attempt to turn the planet’s temperature dial down. But “if it survives, humanity is simply going to do this.”

That's a neat idea but at the rate we're moving we're going to kill ourselves off well before we figure out how to do anything approaching geoengineering effectively.

nymnympseudonym@piefed.social · 10 pts · 207d

Imagine if our elected leaders were scientifically literate, and our population was educated

Then we could have these nice things

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIIOUpOge0LtW77TNvgrWWu5OC3EOwqxQ

I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 207d

Pistcow@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 207d (5 replies)

Thankfully, the Earth will go on but we won't. I welcome our Orcan overlords.

brem@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 207d (2 replies)

As long as Earth's biodiversity remains intact; the loss of mankind will go without remorse.

Even our precious cats and dogs will forget about us, after they eat us.

But you know who won't forget? Orcas.

#FreeWilly

bagsy@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 207d (1 reply)

Worst case scenario, the bacteria that live in volcanic vents on the floor of the ocean will repopulate the earth. Humans will be just a blip that showed up, made some plastic and then disappeared.

daggermoon@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 206d (1 reply)

I think Humanity's extinction is extremely unlikely. That being said, life will become much more difficult for surviving humans.

P00ptart@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 206d

At a MUCH lower population.

whereIsTamara@lemmy.org · 9 pts · 207d

The answer is no.

RockBottom@feddit.org · 8 pts · 206d (1 reply)

I guess fossile fuel profits will cover this?

RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 206d

Socialize the cost of saving ourselves while protecting the profits of these companies. God were fucked up.

Geo@slrpnk.net · 5 pts · 206d (1 reply)

I'm fairly certain that there's not enough frozen water to completely submerge all land, if melted.

Haven't looked into estimates in about 10 years, but the estimates back then were just for significant lowlands being lost.

Jiggle_Physics@piefed.zip · 8 pts · 206d

correct, the article saying we will lose coast population areas, which make up most of humanity. So we will need to move further inland. man island nations will be lost, Australia will also get an inland sea, Bangladesh will largely be lost, Netherlands will be gone, etc.

DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 206d

Humanity is an unredeemable shit hole.

Finish us off and make it quick

MrWrinkles@leminal.space · -1 pts · 206d

LOL