Extreme heatwave in Siberia

A current extreme heatwave in Siberia is bringing new record temperatures daily. Heat records are being broken... READ MORE

UPDATE Greenland Heatwave

The early warning we issued on May 25th for the first heatwave in #Greenland has occurred on May 31st to June 1st with a temperature anomaly event and high ice melt... READ MORE

NEW – Near Real-time Pan-Arctic Alerts (ARP-PAAS)

The Arctic Risk Platform has a new Pan-Arctic Alert System (PAAS) using operational weather forecasting, satellite and ground observations to deliver updates of a real-time view of unfolding climate extremes. This is... READ MORE

GREENLAND HEATWAVE FORTHCOMING

The first moderate heatwave is forecast for Greenland around June 1,... READ MORE

One of Greenland’s largest glaciers is actively melting from beneath

Below the surface, the Petermann Glacier, one of Greenland's largest, is actively melting--from... READ MORE

COUNTDOWN

CO2 Budget Depletion

2022 RISK BRIEFING

ARCTIC BREAKDOWN
ELEVATES RISK FAR
BEYOND ITS BORDERS.

This report summarises the latest science on the rapidly warming Arctic and its impact on the rest of the globe. For a more detailed scientific review, please see the full report.

RISK BRIEFING SUMMARY

  • THE DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE ARCTIC PROVIDE AN EARLY WARNING OF THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY. The latest analysis paints a picture of rapidly unfolding environmental breakdown as a direct result of increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. In turn, this breakdown fuels further global warming.
  • THE ARCTIC IS IN CRISIS AS ITS ICE DISAPPEARS. Sea ice continues to shrink in area and thickness, the Greenland ice sheet continues to melt and accelerate sea-level rise, and the permafrost continues to thaw, threatening communities, ecosystems and carbon feedbacks.
  • THE ARCTIC BREAKDOWN HAS DIRECT IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REST OF THE WORLD. Sea levels rise as glaciers and ice sheets melt. Arctic warming favors increased extreme weather elsewhere - heatwaves, droughts, storms, and even cold spells.
  • ARCTIC BREAKDOWN ELEVATES RISK FAR BEYOND ITS BORDERS. This adds urgency to implementing near-term mitigation to prevent global temperature rises beyond 1.5°C and reduce the magnitude of rapid Arctic change. The COP26 UNFCCC meeting represents a critical moment for high-level recognition of these risks as well as the plans to mitigate them.

DOWNLOAD PREVIOUS RISK BRIEFINGS

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
4.5 hundred thousands l/s
on average in 1986-2015
4.5 tons per second
on average in 1986-2015
Worldwide number of disasters
265 disasters
more events in 2022 in comparison to 1970s
183 disasters
more events in 2022 in comparison to 1980s
100 disasters
more events in 2022 in comparison to 1990s
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
605,499 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 04-Jun-2023
233,783 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 04-Jun-2023
Arctic Amplification
2.82 times
faster than global average in last 30 years
2.57 times
faster than global average in last 50 years
2.54 times
faster than global average in last 70 years
Arctic Wildfire emissions
0.60 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
5.50 microgram per cubic meter
on 05-Jun-2023