Deferring flood damage in coastal lowlands: assessing surface uplift by geo-engineered CO₂sequestration with easy-to-use land-uplift model

Mitigating flood risk of heavily urbanised coastal regions by geo-engineered surface uplift via CO₂-sequestration may help to create commercially viable storage opportunities for greenhouse gases like CO₂. Recent projections for increased global flood risk due to sea level rise induced by rising CO₂-emissions are briefly reviewed. Next, a practical geo-mechanical model is presented, suitable for quick technical assessments of the key physical parameters that contribute most to achieving a specific surface uplift rate required to outpace the projected relative sea level rise for a certain region at risk. The model allows for probabilistic inputs to (1) capture the uncertainty in the value of key input parameters, and (2) link and rank the sensitivity of the surface uplift, to the individual input parameters (in tornado and spider graphs). Three uplift scenarios are given to demonstrate the feasibility of flood mitigation with CO₂-sequestration. Finally, a discussion places the emergence of CO₂-injection projects in a historic perspective, and highlights the critical key factors in the future screening of any CO₂-injection prospects. These factors include the evaluation of technical challenges, potential risks, stakeholder management, public education and perception management.