The John Batchelor Show S1 Ep44: Geoengineering and Sustainable Growth: Technological Pathways to Climate Restoration. Gaia Vince discusses technological methods for restoring the planet, including ocean fertilization, which involves artificially adding iron to boost algae growth that wo
Nov 1, 2025
Gaia Vince, a science and environment writer and author of 'Nomad Century', dives into innovative geoengineering solutions for climate restoration. She discusses ocean fertilization by adding iron to promote algae growth that sequesters CO2. Enhanced weathering, which involves spreading olivine rocks to bind carbon, is another exciting method. Vince emphasizes the need to decouple economic growth from environmental harm, and examines how migration patterns may shift as humanity adapts to climate changes.
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Ocean Iron Fertilization Potential
- Ocean fertilization adds iron to nutrient-poor seas to boost phytoplankton growth and draw down CO2.
- Gaia Vince says this mimics natural dust-driven blooms that historically cooled the planet.
Whales' Role In Ocean Fertility
- Whales sustained a self-perpetuating cycle by fertilizing oceans with nutrient-rich faeces that supported plankton and carbon burial.
- Gaia Vince recounts industrial whaling disrupted this cycle and reduced ocean carbon sequestration.
Natural Dust Events As Climate Drivers
- Large natural dust events historically triggered massive plankton blooms that increased carbon uptake and cooled climate.
- Gaia Vince frames artificial fertilization as replicating these past geological phenomena.
