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

UN SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS

SDG 10 - REDUCED INEQUALITIES

 

Extreme weather is 5 times more likely to displace low- and middle-income populations, and to disrupt employment In the Arctic, Alaskan communities threatened by sea level rise and coastal erosion are left without government aid, increasing Indigenous inequalities.  

GLOBAL

Climate change increases exposure of vulnerable groups, affects peoples’ susceptibility to damage, and reduces their ability to cope with and recover from the impacts of climate hazards, all of which exacerbates existing inequalities. Disasters disproportionately affect women and children as well as poor and marginalized communities, which have done least to cause climate change. In the event of extreme weather, populations across low- and middle-income countries are estimated to be five times more likely than people in high-income counterparts to be displaced (Oxfam America, n.d.). Arctic change will increase existing inequalities and climate impacts globally. 

ARCTIC

Arctic climate change is a fundamental threat to Indigenous communities and culture. For over a decade, the Sámi have been facing the “limit of resilience” (Furberg, Evengård and Nilsson, 2011). As the Sámi’s rights continue to erode, and without robust mitigation and adaptation in sight, Indigenous inequalities will increase. Similarly, 31 Native Alaskan communities are threatened by sea level rise and coastal erosion, both of which the U.S. government has long claimed to be avoidable and therefore not meeting the criteria for federal aid or disaster relief (Faheid, 2021). While funding is still relatively inaccessible and does not cover ecological restoration, in April 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared that the country would invest US$46 million in climate impacts and challenges faced by Indigenous communities (Reyna, 2022). Climate vulnerable regions in the Arctic deserve compensation for loss and damage from current climate impacts. 

While equality has improved across the Arctic, women residing outside of Reykjavik in Iceland still earn 38 percent less than men for the same job. In the Russian Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, women only earn 74 percent of the average man’s salary (Arctic Council, 2021).  

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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