Underground Polar Cities: Our Last Defence Against Global Warming?

Written by Linda

Whether you believe in global warming or not, the world is changing. The areas around the equator are getting hotter, so much so that scientists believe within the next 5 to 8 years equatorial countries will be practically inhabitable by humans. On the other hand, rising temperatures are expected to make usually freezing environments quite a pleasant place to live, predicting a huge migration to more northerly regions.

One journalist/blogger, Dan Bloom, believes that we can take measures to safeguard against global warming by building Polar cities. Citing the work of chemist and inventor, James Lovelock (who first suggested moving to the Poles), Polar cities would provide alternative retreats when the central and middle regions of the Earth become overheated, hostile and less habitable.

Polar City Image by: Deng Cheng-hong

Dr Lovelock said: “At six going on eight billion people, the idea of any further development is almost obscene. We’ve got to learn how to retreat from the world that we’re in. Planning a good retreat is always a good measure of generalship.”

Bloom is continuing Lovelock’s work suggesting that a number of high-density, sustainable cities could be created near the Arctic Rim, Antarctica, New Zealand, Tasmania and Patagonia. Yet to be built, Bloom thinks these housing schemes may be a drastic step humankind will need to take to ensure long-term survival.

We’re not entirely sure Polar cities are the best answer though, after all, we’re not so hot on looking after the land we're living on right now, can you imagine what state the Poles would be in after a mass exodus to them? Sources: 1, 2 If you want to find out all the latest news on the environment, why not subscribe to our RSS feed? We’ll even throw in a free album.

License:

Attribution-Share Alike

6 comments

Dan bloom (not verified) says:

Dec 24th, 2009 at 4am

1500 underground habitats / instalations already exist world wide. LEAH, can you tell me more about this here in comments or email me at bikolang@gmail.com, thanks DANNY POLAR CITIES project

where are they? who owns them? WWII bunkers, what?

Add comment

Giggle Fools (not verified) says:

Aug 18th, 2008 at 6pm

Buy 2 - get 1 free *SPECIAL OFFER*

For a small deposit of $1 million dollars, you can buy your icebox in
the sun now. But don't just think of your own hide - buy one for the
kids too.

We will gladly take your money if you are stupid enough and believing
in AGW is about as stupid as you can get !!!!!!!!!!

Add comment

Danny Bloom (not verified) says:

Aug 19th, 2008 at 3am

Linda,
thanks you for a very insightful piece about polar cities. hopefully we will never need them, but if Dr Lovelock is right, we just MIGHT need something like p;olar cities, which have also been dubbed by the media as LOVELOCK RETREATS, in honor of the great man!

Add comment

Danny Bloom (not verified) says:

Aug 19th, 2008 at 3am

Linda,
RE: "We’re not entirely sure polar cities are the best answer though, after all, we’re not so hot on looking after the land we’re living on right now, can you imagine what state the Poles would be in after a mass exodus to them?"

LOL, sigh. You are right. Part of the Polar Cities Project is a PR wake-up call to raise awareness about what we are doing, and NOT doing NOW. Hopefully, we will never need polar cities, aka Lovelock Retreats. Some say we have 100 months to get our house in order. Things are looking grim. But we must try to keep hope alive, I agree.

By the way, Dr Lovelock has seen this image above of an imagined polar city, and he wrote to me in an email last January: "Thanks for showing me those images by Deng Cheng-hong. It may very well happen and soon!"

OUCH!

PS: Some of these polar cities will be underground, others will be above ground, others will be inside mountain caverns and caves, where-ever and however we need them. The main point now is to start the discussion NOW, and maybe even start planning and siting these polar city settlements now. For use later on, maybe in the year 2121 or 2222 or 2525. It's good to be prepared. We need to prepare mentally and spiritually for all this. And we need to listen to Lynas, Monbiot, Pearce, Hansen, Revkin, Flannery and Lovelock. And Andrew Simms, too. Transition Towns is also a great idea and deserves media coverage. McKibben, too. And JAmes Howard Kunstler, too. We are headed for what some are calling The Great Interruption, where the very survival of the human species will be at stake. The time to take action is not later, it's NOW.