Brent Minchew, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative, dives into the urgent crisis posed by melting glaciers, particularly the Thwaites or 'Doomsday Glacier.' He discusses how glacial intervention could mitigate sea-level rise and explores innovative solutions like thermo-siphons. Brent emphasizes the stark funding gap in glaciology research and its economic implications for coastal communities. He also highlights the need for international cooperation in Antarctic governance and urges investment in proactive climate strategies.
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Thwaites Glacier's Critical Role
Thwaites Glacier is a massive, vulnerable glacier in West Antarctica driving potential rapid sea level rise.
Its collapse could lead to a broader West Antarctic ice sheet collapse, causing large uncertainty in sea level forecasts.
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Baked-In Glacial Instability
Thwaites Glacier's instability is likely irreversible despite future CO2 reductions.
The glacier's internal feedbacks ensure continued sea level rise regardless of emissions.
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Sea Level Rise Displacement Risks
Projected sea level rise by 2100 ranges from 1.5 to 6 feet, displacing millions.
Worst-case collapse scenarios could displace up to a billion people globally.
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The Ministry for the Future is a novel by Kim Stanley Robinson that delves into the urgent issue of climate change. Set in the near future, the story follows the establishment of a UN agency, the Ministry for the Future, whose mission is to advocate for the rights of future generations. The novel is told through multiple perspectives, including those of Mary Murphy, the head of the Ministry, and Frank May, an American aid worker who survives a devastating heat wave in India. The book explores various innovative solutions to climate change, such as the introduction of a new currency called 'carboni' to incentivize decarbonization, and it presents a hopeful yet realistic vision of how humanity might cooperate to mitigate the effects of climate change. The narrative includes a mix of fictional eyewitness accounts, non-fiction descriptions, and diverse writing styles, reflecting the complexity and urgency of the climate crisis[1][3][5].
Brent Minchew is Co-Founder, Executive Director, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative, a new nonprofit launched to close the gap between frontier glaciology research and actionable sea-level forecasts—and to probe whether “brake-tapping” inside Antarctic glaciers can slow their slide into the sea.
Brent explains why current models still span 1–6 feet of rise by 2100—even if Paris targets are met—and how melting glaciers, especially Antarctica’s so-called “Doomsday Glacier,” drive that uncertainty. He details why glaciology remains drastically underfunded, how sea-level changes already threaten coastal economies via insurance markets, and where Arête’s first $5 million in philanthropic capital is going. He also walks through early-stage solutions—from thermo-siphons that passively refreeze ice to pumping sub-glacial water—that could “hit the brakes” on glacier flow and buy humanity time for deep decarbonization.
In this episode, we cover:
[03:45] Launching Arête to bridge glacier science and solutions
[05:38] Inside the “doomsday glacier” and its global risk
[07:18] Why Thwaites may collapse even if we hit climate goals
[09:51] Sea level rise: Millions displaced per inch
[12:41] The silent crisis of glacial melt
[13:28] Economic ripple effects of rising seas
[15:53] What Larsen B’s collapse taught us
[20:04] Arête’s model: Philanthropy + global research
[22:51] Advancing glacier tech through TRL stages
[25:45] How Antarctica is governed
[35:28] Refreezing glaciers with thermo-siphons
[45:00] Drilling costs vs. seawalls: Where’s the value?
Episode recorded on May 14, 2025 (Published on June 2, 2025)
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Inevitable 