Northern European Enclosure Dam

"NEED" redirects here. For other uses of "Need", see Need (disambiguation).

The Northern European Enclosure Dam (NEED) is a proposed solution to the problem of rising ocean levels in Northern Europe. It would be a megaproject, involving the construction of two massive dams in the English Channel and the North Sea; the former between France and England, and the latter between Scotland and Norway.[1] The concept was conceived by the oceanographers Sjoerd Groeskamp and Joakim Kjellsson.[2][3]

As of 2020, the scheme remains a thought experiment intended to portray engineered solutions to the effects of climate change as too "extreme" to be pursued.[4] The scheme's authors describe it as "more of a warning than a solution".[2]

Groeskamp estimates that the NEED will cost 250 to 500 billion euros and will take 50 to 100 years to complete.[5] Groeskamp, an oceanographer, has not revealed how he determined the cost projection or construction timetable.

  1. ^ NWS, VRT (2020-02-07). "Komt het ooit zover? Ambitieus plan voor dijk rond Noordzee om Europa te beschermen tegen stijgende zeespiegel". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  2. ^ a b "A dam right across the North Sea might be a protection against climate change, but the idea is – for now – primarily a warning". Innovation Origins. 10 February 2020.
  3. ^ Buiter, Rob (7 February 2020). "Honderd jaar bouwen aan een dijk rond de Noordzee". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  4. ^ "Colloquium | The Northern European Enclosure Dam (Noordzeedijk) for when climate change mitigation fails". www.nioz.nl. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  5. ^ "Is damming the entire North Sea a realistic way to defend against sea level rise?". CBC News. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2021-04-12.