The WWF charity is urging the UK Government to heed the global implications of the loss of Arctic ice cover and take immediate action to reduce emissions.
The amount of summer sea ice predicted in the Arctic this year is less than any other year since monitoring began. The continuing loss of the older ice means that the ice cover has become thinner this year, with areas of ice at least five years old decreasing by half in the last 20 years.
This is the first year that both the top of North America and the top of Russia are both free of ice, affecting not just the polar bears who’s habitat is eroding, but also indigenous people of the Arctic who depend on a healthy ecosystem.
Senior Climate Change Advisor at the WWF, Dr Martin Sommerkorn, said –
‘We are expecting confirmation of 2008 being either the lowest or the second-lowest year in terms of summer ice coverage. This means two years in a row of record lows since we started recording Arctic sea ice coverage. The trend of melting Arctic sea ice is alarming for the rest of the world. The Arctic is a key factor in stabilising the global climate so this is a global problem that demands an immediate and global response.’
The WWF is urging the British Government to demonstrate clear leadership on tackling climate change as urgent measures are needed to stabilise Arctic sea ice. The UK can still pave the way for a more ambitious UN climate agreement to reduce the risks of further impacts on global climate from sea ice loss.
