Dramatic vanishing of polar sea ice and ice sheets

Polar sea ice and ice sheets are continuing to melt rapidly according to many new studies. The end-of-winter Arctic sea ice extent in March 2023 was the fifth lowest in the satellite record¹, while the area of Antarctic sea ice fell to a record low.²

“Antarctica might seem remote but changes around there can affect the global climate and the melting ice sheets affect coastal communities around the world. Everyone should be concerned about what’s happening in Antarctica,” say the scientists behind the study.

“The climate crisis has pushed the planet’s stores of ice to a widespread collapse that was unthinkable just a decade ago, with Arctic sea ice certain to vanish in summers and ruinous sea level rise from melting glaciers now already in motion. I have never seen such an extreme, ice-free situation here before,” says Professor Karsten Gohl, from the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany, who first visited the Antarctic region in 1994 in one study.³

Stronger El Niño events due to global heating may accelerate irreversible melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves, as well as the rise in sea levels, according to research from Australia’s premier government science agency. The examination of 31 climate models found stronger El Niños may accelerate the heating of deeper ocean waters. The dramatic vanishing of polar ice sheets will cause catastrophic sea level rise that will threaten cities.⁴
On behalf of AirClim, Climate Analytics has summarised the conclusions of the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle concerning the effects of a global 1.5°C temperature rise in the Arctic and concludes that such a temperature rise could be a tipping point for the ecosystems in the Arctic region. An analysis of the Arctic Council declarations from the last 20 years shows that “while the contribution of CO₂ and non-CO₂ greenhouse gases to global warming was recognised, the Arctic Council declarations have shown a clear reluctance to cover CO₂ mitigation. Instead of pushing for fossil fuel phase out, the Arctic Council declarations repeatedly emphasised ‘environmentally sound oil and gas activities’ (see e.g. the Tromsø Declaration, 2009), pushing the focus from CO₂ mitigation to black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbon emissions reduction.”⁵

Reinhold Pape

1. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151115/arctic-sea-ice-below-ave...
2. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/04/everyone-should-be-concern...
3. https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/21/stronger-el-nino-eve...
5. https://www.airclim.org/sites/default/files/documents/1.5-a-tipping-poin...

In this issue

Making the most of waste heat

The total excess heat in the EU covers almost all of the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water in residential and service sector buildings. This potential needs to be utilised, especially during these times of energy and climate crises.

Editorial: EU could be powered by recycled heat

Preventing heat waste has largely been ignored as a solution. A new report by the global engineering company Danfoss highlights the potential of excess heat recovery.

Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors on 15 April, marking the end of its nuclear power era.

Global heating threatens northern forests

In the last month, fires have ravaged forests in both Canada and Russia. This is just the latest of many similar examples.

Unlocking the potential of ocean energy

To ensure affordable energy and limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 °C there is an urgent need to transition rapidly from a centralised energy system that heavily relies on fossil fuels. Ocean energy is one of the technologies that should be scaled up to support the transition of the energy system to reach full decarbonisation.

A quantative take on Russian forests

Russia has one fifth of the global forest area. This area has remained relatively constant in recent decades, but clear cutting and wildfires are altering the species composition.

Ocean acidification in the climate negotiations

If ocean acidification was redefined as an effect of climate change, the UNFCCC could interpret its existing framework so that parties were required to take action on the issue.

The forefront of cleaner, people-centred cities

Cities are dense and struggling with high levels of air pollution, sedentary behaviour and noise problems linked to car-centred urban planning. Traffic also takes up large areas in cities, resulting in lack of green spaces, and it is obvious that our oil dependency has fuelled climate change. Three cities with governments that are up for the challenge of re-thinking cities are Paris, Oslo and Barcelona, which are working to transform their cities from car-
centred to people-centred.

The Swedish Greenwashing Prize – more than a decade of ironic awards highlighting misleading claims

Each year, for over a decade, Friends of the Earth Sweden has announced a winner of its Swedish Greenwashing Prize – an ironic booby prize that turns the spotlight on misleading and false claims.

The EU needs to do more to reduce methane emissions

The EU has signed the Global Methane Pledge but action to slash methane emissions in the energy and agriculture sectors is lagging behind. Urgent measures are needed to reduce methane emissions while at the same time much more action is also needed to reduce all other greenhouse gas emissions.

E-fuels are a detour on our way to decarbonisation

It takes four times as much energy to drive a car on e-fuels compared to batteries. In addition, they emit as much air pollution as a car running on fossil fuels.

Green incentives are at the heart as UK rolls out its CAP replacement

Public money for public goods is the principle behind the new Environmental Land Management schemes in England – the jury is still out on whether it can sustain farmers’ livelihoods while also protecting the environment.

Nitrogen deposition threat to 60 per cent of European ecosystems

Most affected are regions with intensive livestock rearing. Scenarios show that both technical measures and a reduction in animal numbers are needed to tackle the problem.