Will The Arctic Sea Ice Be Doomed To Disappear Even With Reaching The Climate Target?

Ice in the Arctic Ocean could vanish even if countries achieved the 2 degree celsius limit for global warming, scientist have recently warned.

In recent years, the polar ice has steadily declined. The region, as a result, is now available for more oil, gas, and shipping explorations, while also severely damaging the livelihoods of indigenous people and wildlife.

“The 2 degrees Celsius target may be insufficient to prevent an ice-free Arctic,” James Screen and Daniel Williamson wrote after reviewing the statistics of the ice projections.

Current trends show a 73% probability of the ice melting in summer months, and an increased temperature to 3 degrees Celsius unless more change was made. With the 2 degree Celsius target the ice would still have a 39% chance of disappearing. However, the ice would have an almost definite chance of survival with just 1.5C of warming. In the past 40 years the summer sea ice cover has been cut in half, and possibly in the next it could be completely gone. Making the situation worse, the decrease in sea ice, which reflects the sun’s energy, would cause a raised rate of global warming. The Arctic Ocean will be without ice if we continue the current trends and avoid larger emission cuts.