A Complementary Strategy for Climate Stabilisation: Integrating Active Polar Cooling, Carbon Dioxide Removal, and Ecosystem Restoration

No single mitigation approach is sufficient to address the multidimensional climate crisis. This paper proposes and analyses a three-pillar complementary strategy integrating: (1) structural decarbonisation and greenhouse gas emissions reduction; (2) carbon dioxide removal through direct air capture, BECCS, enhanced weathering, and large-scale ecosystem restoration including reforestation; and (3) active polar cooling — a geoengineering approach deploying high-energy-density systems centrally positioned on the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, with all generated energy allocated internally to cooling cycles, achieving net thermal extraction from the polar environment. The complementary strategy addresses the timescale gap between slow-acting structural measures and the urgent tipping point risk facing the Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheets.