WIREDGOV

Arctic sea ice has declined since consistent and continuous satellite records began in 1979 by an area about a quarter the size of Europe

As the Arctic’s sea ice reaches its annual summer minimum, the ice extent is once again low and WWF is calling for urgent action to meet the global 1.5C goal outlined in the Paris Agreement.

In much of the Arctic, air temperatures have already exceeded the equivalent of the Paris climate targets. The Arctic is warming at about twice the global average, and that warming has accelerated in recent years, particularly since 2005. The 10 warmest years on record for the Arctic are within the past 12 years, and 2016 was by far the warmest on records going back to 1900. This year we continue that trend.

Rod Downie, WWF Head of Polar Programmes, said:

“From space, the loss of Arctic sea ice is the clearest and most visible sign of climate change, and human beings are responsible for most of it. We are engineering our planet and its climate. That’s not good for the people of the Arctic who depend upon sea ice for their traditional way of life, and for people across the world who depend on a stable climate.

“The Arctic is in a changed state, and nowhere is that clearer than the images from space that show declining sea ice cover. But, by tackling climate change head on and reducing our carbon emissions, we can help to stabilise it for future generations.”

In the last 30 years, the summer minimum sea ice extent has decreased by an area roughly equivalent to ¼ the size of Europe, and the Arctic could be virtually free of summer sea ice within our lifetimes.

For further information, please contact:

T: 01483 412383 

E: press@wwf.org.uk