ICE BRIDGE: Bridging Ice Climate Technologies and Governance for Biodiversity in the Arctic
Biodiversa +
The Arctic Ocean is in crisis: the accelerated loss of sea ice threatens global biodiversity, climate stability and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. While more and more climate engineering technologies – specifically, sea ice geoengineering (i.e. technologies designed to manipulate the region’s albedo and thermal energy) – are being proposed to restore ice, the current legal framework is fragmented and lacks a single international standard governing these interventions.
It remains unclear how these technologies could affect complex marine ecosystems or exacerbate social inequalities. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new governance frameworks that ensure that any potential application of sea ice geoengineering addresses biodiversity loss without generating new environmental or social injustices.
Line of action:
Knowledge generation and managementStatus:
En ejecuciónExecution date:
2026End date:
2029Project web page:
https://www.biodiversa.eu/2026/04/03/ice-bridge/ICE BRIDGE aims to address biodiversity loss and climate injustice by developing a structure for geological technologies in the Arctic. The initiative emphasizes the urgency for responsible and equitable management of polar ecosystems, highlighting the need for a cautious approach to prevent impacts on species, indigenous communities, and global biodiversity.
- Conduct an exhaustive literature review on the decline of sea ice and its influence on the distribution of marine mammals and the functioning of the ecosystem.
- Identify and analyze existing and proposed geoengineering interventions, assessing the motivations behind these strategies and their potential consequences.
- Assess status changes and impacts on biodiversity resulting from selected interventions, integrating knowledge from field studies, modelling approaches and indigenous knowledge.
- Characterize existing and potential policy responses, considering adaptation strategies, regulatory mechanisms, and biodiversity conservation frameworks.
- Apply socio-technical and future-proof analyses to assess how interventions and their drivers can evolve, considering synergistic, cumulative interactions and feedback loops between geoengineering and Arctic climate dynamics.
ICE BRIDGE: Bridging Ice Climate Technologies and Governance for Biodiversity in the Arctic
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