Current global warming levels are unsafe for the Arctic and the world’s other frozen regions, two new reports warn, adding that ongoing temperature increases can create damage that in some cases could be irreversible even if the planet later cools.
Warming beyond 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels could accelerate sea-level rise and increase water shortages as glaciers retreat, the authors write.
“There are no good outcomes in exceeding 1.5 C,” Dr. James Kirkham, coordinating lead author of “Overshoot and the Cryosphere,” one of the reports, said in a statement.
“To contain the global fallout and damage from ice loss in the world’s polar and mountain regions, overshoot needs to be kept to the absolute minimum.”
Many changes are already locked in
The report was done by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) in coordination with the UN Environment Programme. It was released Sunday alongside ICCI’s “State of the Cryosphere 2026.”
Grim data from recent years includes Switzerland losing 20 per cent of its glacier ice over the past five years, while carbon released into the atmosphere by thawing permafrost adds to warming.
Many changes are already locked in, such as several metres of sea-level rise “for many centuries”, but rapid action could still help turn things around, the authors write.
“Continuing full speed ahead just makes things worse”
Reducing fossil fuels and cutting emissions at least five per cent a year starting now is the pathway the researchers reccommend for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century and could slow the rate of sea-level rise and help create the conditions for sea ice and glacier regrowth in some places over time.
“When you miss an exit on the highway, you don’t abandon plans to get to where you really need to be – you take your first chance to turn back,” ICCI Director Pam Pearson said. “Continuing full speed ahead just makes things worse.”
“The road back to below 1.5°C may be difficult, but science and economics both provide a roadmap to a better future.”
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Inuit, Sámi urge COP17 to protect distinct Indigenous rights, Eye on the Arctic
Denmark: Resource extraction projects, dwindling sea ice power Arctic shipping surge, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finnish Lapland’s “exceptional” warm spell not seen in 30 years, meteorologist says, Yle News
Greenland: Mind the (Emissions) Gap—UN warns governments must up action to avert climate disaster, Blog by Irene Quaile
Norway: Weather above normal for 18 consecutive months, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Swedish glaciers are still melting — but by less than last year, Radio Sweden
United States: The Arctic Report Card will survive 2026 without NOAA, but what comes next?, Eye on the Arctic
