Who Decides: The Battle Over Geoengineering the Arctic

Join us for another impactful episode of the Climate Emergency Forum, where we take a critical look at one of this year’s most widely discussed scientific papers, “Safeguarding the Polar Regions from Dangerous Geoengineering.” Our panel breaks down what this paper means for planetary climate policy and the ongoing debate on geoengineering interventions. We explore the evidence, assess the arguments, and ask what’s at stake for the future of Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as the planet as a whole.

This video was recorded on October 1st, 2025, and published on October 12th, 2025, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

The discussion brings together perspectives on the urgent need for bold climate action. Panelists examine the feasibility of various geoengineering techniques and weigh the importance of maintaining a broad toolkit—emissions reductions, carbon dioxide removal, and planetary cooling methods—versus focusing exclusively on emission cuts. We analyze the logic and science behind the paper’s calls to limit research on these technologies, and consider the global media’s outsized attention to its findings compared to more nuanced climate science.

Stay tuned for an update on major climate news stories, as well as our regular roundup of scientific advances and policy developments. If you enjoy deep dives into the issues driving the climate emergency, make sure to subscribe, leave your comments and questions, share this episode with your network, and visit climateemergencyforum.org for more resources and ways to support our work. Your engagement helps us remain a dedicated source covering every aspect of the climate crisis.

Links:

• Support Our Mission

• Safeguarding the polar regions from dangerous geoengineering: a critical assessment of proposed concepts and future prospects

• The Climate Triad for a Safe and Healthy Climate (CEF Video)

• Ocean Restoration - Update 2024 (CEF Video)

• Dr. Hansen’s Climate Warning: It’s Worse Than We Thought

• Seeing the Forest for the Trees

• 2025 Report - Production Gap

• Alex Steffen

• No, Polar Geoengineering Has Not Been Debunked

• Six ways loss of Arctic ice impacts everyone

• Xi announces China’s Nationally Determined Contributions to beef up climate response

• India’s eastern coast is eroding rapidly and some villages have already been engulfed by the sea

• Increasing tree size across Amazonia

  Regular Panelists:

• Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

• Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: crowander.com

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions