Arctic Temperature Alarm

Air temperature in the Arctic was -19.25°C on 2023-03-23. This is 0.15°C higher than 90th percentile of climatology period... READ MORE

Arctic Temperature Alarm

Air temperature in the Arctic was -19.28°C on 2023-03-22. This is 0.27°C higher than 90th percentile of climatology period... READ MORE

It’s now or never – IPCC 6th Assessment Report released today

Today the final synthesis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 6th Assessment Report cycle was released. This synthesis report restates that it is "now or never" to act, and that we are well on... READ MORE

Arctic sea ice maximum extent likely 5th lowest on record

Arctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.62 million square kilometres (5.64 million square miles) on March 6, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at... READ MORE

Record-breaking cyclone brings further decimation to world’s #1 climate vulnerable country

Tropical cyclone Freddy is set to make more international records--including possibly one for the longest-lasting storm, later this... 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
1,060,750 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 26-Mar-2023
409,555 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 26-Mar-2023
Arctic Amplification
2.81 times
faster than global average in last 30 years
2.59 times
faster than global average in last 50 years
2.49 times
faster than global average in last 70 years
Arctic Wildfire emissions
0.19 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
2.72 microgram per cubic meter
on 21-Mar-2023