The World Above 1.5°C: Flooding Disasters from Libya to Hong Kong

Global temperatures have slightly decreased after a  summer with 36 consecutive days above any previous record, a phenomenon not seen in at least 125,000 years. However, the two consecutive months above 1.5C provided a... READ MORE

Polar Tipping Points Hub in WEF Global Collaboration Village

This week, the Polar Tipping Points Hub was launched in the Global Collaboration Village, a metaverse built by the World Economic Forum in partnership with Accenture and Microsoft, with scientific support from Arctic... READ MORE

Arctic Basecamp Plays Significant Role in New Polar Metaverse by World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Polar Tipping Points Hub, a groundbreaking virtual reality experience in collaboration with Accenture and Microsoft, yesterday at UN Climate Week in New York... READ MORE

Mind-blowing alarm bells need to be ringing: Antarctica’s ice remains well-below any previous record

“Almost mind-blowing.” That’s how Walter Meier of the NSIDC describes the records Antarctica has set this year.... READ MORE

A rare northern hurricane continues to make records

Hurricane Lee is preparing to slam into northern New England and the Canadian... READ MORE

COUNTDOWN

CO2 Budget Depletion

28 Sep 2022 | Florida

HURRICANE IAN MAKES LANDFALL IN FLORIDA

28.09.2022, Florida. Having already knocked out power throughout Cuba, Hurricane Ian is crashing into the western coast of Florida with its disastrous extreme trifecta of storm surges reaching 18 feet, torrential rains unleashing up to 24 inches, and winds just 1-2mph shy of being a Category 5 storm with gusts to 190mph.

Each of these extremes is life-threatening in itself but is catastrophic when together, especially when it has experienced “rapid intensification,” and residents are not able to adequately prepare. The gravity of this storm is the direct result of climate change. Normally, storms ease as they barrel toward the US coast, but Ian was able to strengthen from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane within 3 days due to the excessively warm water temperatures that power the storm. This process has been occurring more frequently in recent decades as the water continues to bake. Warmer air is also able to hold more moisture, contributing to more powerful cyclones.

Additionally, as this part of the world is vulnerable to sea level rise, which amplifies the effects of flooding and storm surges. As Greenland melt is the world’s largest contributor to sea level rise, and Arctic amplification is forcing temperatures to rise world over, mitigating change in the Arctic is paramount to controlling future catastrophes around the world. To understand how climate change in the Arctic drives global risks and shares significant responsibility in disasters like Ian, see https://arcticrisk.org

Click HERE for more information on the global risks from Arctic change.

LATEST NEWS & ALERTS

ARCTIC RISK INDICATORS

The following gauges show up-to-date data regarding key indicators in the Arctic. These indicators clearly point to the crisis at hand.

Greenland rate of ice loss
13 million l/s
on average
13 million tonnes/s
on average
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
2,161,499 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 20-Sep-2023
834,555 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 20-Sep-2023
Arctic Amplification
4 times
faster than global average
Arctic 66N+ Wildfire emissions
24,864.17 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
4.89 microgram per cubic meter
on 21-Sep-2023
Global mean Sea Level
3.4mm/year
since 1993