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 8 - DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH

 

In 2020 alone, costs from extreme weather reached roughly US$190 billion across the world. By 2300, Arctic warming is estimated to induce global economic impacts of more than US$66 trillion. In Sápmi, reindeer husbandry is dependent upon predictable environmental conditions in which there is consistent access to food sources and migration routes. 

GLOBAL

Warming in the Arctic causes economic impacts that extend well beyond the region itself, which is why it will be more difficult to secure decent work and economic growth without protecting the Arctic. Extreme weather and sea level rise affect agricultural yield and productivity, labor productivity and work intensity, work safety, GDP growth, and individual and household income (particularly affecting daily wage earners and outdoor workers). 

 Impacts from climate change are concentrated in climate vulnerable regions across the tropics, which bear the brunt of exacerbated extreme weather and climate-change impacts such as labor and agricultural productivity loss.  

 Between 2010 and 2019, tropical cyclones, floods, wildfires and other climate-related hazards caused US$2.98 trillion in loss and damages, making it the costliest decade in modern history in terms of extreme weather. In 2020 alone, costs from extreme weather reached roughly US$190 billion across the world. By 2300, Arctic warming is estimated to induce global economic impacts of more than US$66 trillion (Yumashev et al, 2019). 

ARCTIC

Arctic Indigenous peoples’ economic growth requires successful mitigation of climate change. Across Sápmi, unpredictable snow and rain conditions make it challenging for reindeer to access lichen–a critical food source. This, in combination with other factors such as the fragmentation of their traditional lands due to renewable energy projects, tourism, and forestry, forces the Sámi to introduce modern technologies and supplementary fodder to ensure herds’ survival. In effect, this is changing Sámi culture (Arctic WWF, 2019). For over 11 years, the Sámi have claimed to be reaching “the limit to resilience”, due to an accumulating amount of stressors including but not limited to climate change (Furberg, Evengård and Nilsson, 2011).  

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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