Confirmed: 2023 set to be the warmest year on record

The WMO provisional State of the Global Climate report confirms that 2023 is set to be the warmest year on record, regardless of the final two months of... READ MORE

Colossal Antarctic iceberg, five times larger than New York City, breaks free and drifts away from region

On November 24th, scientists from the Bristish Antarctic Survey (BAS) were astonished to observe an iceberg measuring around 4,000 square kilometers (more than twice the size of Greater London) drifting away from the... READ MORE

World surpasses critical warming threshold for the first time

On November 17th, global temperatures reached 2.07°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time on record.... READ MORE

Unexpected disintegration of ice shelves in North Greenland

Alarm bells ringing as rapid disintegration and weakening of ice shelves in North Greenland is observed!... READ MORE

Three Icebergs break off West Antarctica’s most Endangered Glacier

Images recently posted in the Arctic Sea Ice Forum reveal three significant breakups, or calving events, in mid-October on Pine Island Glacier’s floating ice shelf in West... READ MORE

COUNTDOWN

CO2 Budget Depletion

UN SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS

SDG 6 - CLEAN WATER & SANITATION

 

Arctic change raises the risk of floods, droughts, and other extreme weather, as well as rising sea levels. This disrupts access to clean water and sanitation by damaging infrastructure and causing saltwater intrusions into drinking water supplies, leading to water insecurity. In 2021 and 2022, residents of Iqaluit became water insecure after an underground fuel tank leached hydrocarbons into the town’s fresh water source.  

GLOBAL

Climate change affects people’s rights to clean water and sanitation by exacerbating floods and droughts, changes in precipitation, and through temperature extremes that result in water scarcity, contamination of drinking water, and the spread of disease (United Nations). Arctic change will worsen these impacts. Rising global sea levels and extreme weather resulting from a warming Arctic will disrupt access to clean water and sanitation by damaging infrastructure and causing saltwater intrusions into drinking water supplies. 79 percent of Kiribati’s population is currently facing severe water shortages due to the rising sea level, saltwater intrusion and ongoing drought (ReliefWeb, 2022). Due largely to losses in agricultural output and related industries, it is estimated that drought costs US$6-8 billion every year globally (Lese et al., 2021).  

ARCTIC

Water insecurity is the reality of many Indigenous communities across the Arctic. Historically drinking water was collected from ice melt, lakes or brooks, but now access to clean water is threatened by contamination, climate change-induced decreases in water availability, and lack of transport ability and harvesting machinery (Lawson, 2019). For several months during 2021 and 2022, Iqaluit residents in Nunavut suffered a water crisis in which 8000 community members lacked access to potable water because of infrastructure challenges and inadequate sanitation (The Arctic Institute, 2022). 

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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
13 million l/s
on average
13 million tonnes/s
on average
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
1,404,499 km²
below 1981-2010 average on 30-Nov-2023
542,277 mi²
below 1981-2010 average on 30-Nov-2023
Arctic Amplification
4 times
faster than global average
Arctic 66N+ Wildfire emissions
25,092.70 megatonnes CO₂e
CO₂e emissions in 2023 so far
Arctic Air Quality (PM2.5)
1.28 microgram per cubic meter
on 01-Dec-2023
Global mean Sea Level
3.4mm/year
since 1993