Seaflooding: A Geoengineering Project Worth Considering

Normally, I’m very skeptical of geoengineering proposals.  They can incent people to think they can keep emitting GHGs, and the “unintended consequence” risk are huge.  But here’s one worth considering further.

Did you know that eons ago, Gibraltar was a land-bridge/dam, and the Mediterranean was a below-sea-level salt desert behind that dam.  Eventually, the land-bridge/dam breached and the ocean water flooded into the Mediterranean Sea, carving the deep canyon off the coast of Gibraltar.

It turns out that there are a dozen or so “below sea level” places within a reasonable distance from the ocean.   This incredible article lays out all of the positives — creating lush landscapes where today there is only a harsh desert (think: Death Valley); generating oodles of hydroelectric power; reducing the magnitude of sea level rise; and other benefits.

My inner geek and climate activist found the article totally fascinating, and I recommend it for your reading pleasure.  Given a) the current economic feasibility of tunneling (Elon Musk’s Boring Company is tunneling in Las Vegas for < $ 1 million per mile); b) the relatively short distances from the sea (as in sea-level) to the below-sea-level depressions listed in the article; c) the extremely high efficiency of hydroelectric generation; and d) the allegedly positive ecological externalities of adding water, even salt water, to arid depressions, well, it seems interesting enough to explore further.