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

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.
DOWNLOAD 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

COP26 RISK BRIEFING – NOVEMBER 2021

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.

Liters/sec tonnes/sec
Greenland rate of ice loss
13 million l/s
on average
13 million tonnes/s
on average
km² mi²
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
warming rate
Arctic Amplification
4 times
faster than global average
MT
Arctic 66N+ Wildfire emissions
24,864.17 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
μg/m³
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
4.89 microgram per cubic meter
on 21-Sep-2023
rising rate
Global mean Sea Level
3.4mm/year
since 1993