PARIS, March 16 -- A Dutch startup has come up with a plan for using seawater to help reinforce ice caps and slow down the melting caused by global warming. This idea may be far from miraculous, but it nevertheless has the merit of proposing a potential solution to one of the most critical climate emergencies.

Like many of its Nordic neighbours, the Netherlands is famous for its outdoor skating rinks.

There's even a traditional method for creating them, originating in the country's villages, which involves pumping water onto fields every night during the winter.

The aim is to form several layers of ice to make the surface sufficiently resistant to accommodate skaters.

It's this age-old technique that Dutch company Arctic Reflections h...