GLOBAL
CLIMATE
RISK.

Rapid Arctic warming and melting is contributing to an increase in extreme weather events around the world. From wildfires, flooding, and drought to prolonged heatwaves and more damaging hurricanes.

Research suggests that the warming Arctic slows down the movement of weather regimes, and favours jet-stream wave patterns during summer that can heighten the risk of simultaneous crop failures in multiple grain producing parts of the world.

The risk multiplier effect of the Arctic means that climate change is already disrupting weather patterns, leading to more frequent extreme weather events and unreliable water availability, which exacerbates water scarcity and contaminated water supplies.

Nearly 600 million people live in coastal zones worldwide. If sea levels rise, they will be increasingly vulnerable to dislocation from these areas.

Hot, humid conditions contribute to heat stress, heat-related deaths and loss of productivity. The rapid decrease of the Earth's albedo associated with the loss of Arctic ice and snow will further increase global temperatures.