Sea level rise:a modest proposal

[nickbarnes]

Global sea-level is forecast to rise a metre or so over the next century. In the spirit of dumb-ass geo-engineering proposals to combat global warming, we should consider the most obvious geo-engineering approach to sea-level: pump sea-water into endorheic basins (that is, areas which don't drain into the global ocean), such as the basins of the

Comments

[gareth_rees]

Problem number 1: ecological devastation. (But on the other hand, it's not clear that anything can now be done to the Aral Sea that's worse that what's already been done to it. Here's an article on the likely cost of refilling the Aral Sea with water from the Arctic basin

[nickbarnes]

This is a geoengineering proposal: obviously the ecological damage of the scheme would be negligible beside the enormous ecological side-benefits. Such as, um, increased rainfall in nearby deserts, and industries such as fishing and watersports tourism. And ponies.

[deborah_c]

Some might see ponies falling in deserts, or indeed anywhere, really, as a bad thing...

[nickbarnes]

Ha! No pony for you!

[nickbarnes]

The Aral project is cool, and the power for it can probably be had for free, with a hydro-storage project (pump water uphill to the watershed when electricity is cheap, and let it run downhill to the Aral basin through turbines when electricity is expensive).