A pair of scientists have proposed building two mega dams to enclose the North Sea in a bid to protect millions from the threat of its rising waters.
One massive structure, measuring 475km in length, would be built between north Scotland and west Norway, with a second 160km dam between south west England and west France also touted.
These would protect more than 25 million Europeans, scientists Dr Sjoerd Groeskamp and Joakim Kjellson believe.
"The costs and the consequences of such a dam are huge indeed. However, we have calculated that the cost of doing nothing against sea level rise will ultimately be many times higher," Dr Groeskamp, oceanographer at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, said.
However, he indicated that the dam suggestion may serve more as a warning to introduce measures to tackle climate change, making such drastic action unnecessary.
"This dam makes it almost tangible what the consequences of the sea level rise will be; a sea level rise of 10 metres by the year 2500 according to the bleakest scenarios," he said.
"This dam is therefore mainly a call to do something about climate change."
The calculations of his dam proposal will be published in the journal of the American Meteorological Society.
It is estimated that such a dam would cost between 250 and 500 billion euros, which is around £210 billion to £420 billion.
