2024 Arctic Report Card
Context:
The Arctic may seem remote and disconnected from daily life for most, but the rapid changes occurring in this region are increasingly influencing communities and ecosystems worldwide.
More on News
- Melting Arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet are contributing to rising sea levels, intensifying coastal flooding in distant regions.
- Wildfires and thawing tundra are releasing heat-trapping gases, compounding global warming.
- The effects ripple through unusual weather events, food supply pressures, and heightened wildfire risks.
The 2024 Arctic Report Card
The 2024 Arctic Report Card consolidates insights from 97 scientists across 11 countries.
It highlights the accelerated pace of environmental change in the Arctic and its far-reaching consequences for global ecosystems and human communities.
Accelerating Change in the Arctic
- Shrinking Snow Seasons: Over the past 15 years, Arctic snow seasons have shortened by one to two weeks compared to historical patterns.
- This disrupts ecosystems dependent on regular seasonal cycles, reduces water resources from snowmelt, and increases drought risk.
- Declining Sea Ice: The Arctic’s once-thick, extensive sea ice is now thinner and seasonal, with profound consequences.
- Exposed dark ocean surfaces absorb more heat, further raising air and ocean temperatures.
- Wildlife dependent on sea ice faces longer fasting seasons, while the extended shipping season has led to surging traffic in Arctic waters.
- Rising Temperatures: In 2024, the Arctic recorded its second-warmest year since 1900 and its wettest summer on record, underscoring the rapid warming trend.
From Carbon Sink to Carbon Source
- For millennia, the Arctic tundra functioned as a carbon sink, sequestering carbon dioxide.
- However, warming and thawing permafrost have reversed this role.
- Microbial activity in thawed permafrost releases stored carbon dioxide and methane, potent greenhouse gases that amplify global warming.
- Wildfires: Increasingly intense wildfires are releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide, while the wildfire season has lengthened.
- Tundra Transition: The tundra has now become a source of carbon dioxide, marking a critical tipping point and emphasising the urgency of reducing human emissions.
Regional Variations Challenge Adaptation
- Some regions in North America and Eurasia experienced increased snowfall, while the Canadian Arctic recorded its shortest snow season in 26 years.
- Summer 2024 was the third-warmest on record, with Alaska and Canada experiencing record heat waves, while Greenland’s west coast had an unusually cool summer.
Impacts on Wildlife and Indigenous Communities
- Wildlife: Alaska’s ice seals remain healthy despite reduced sea ice.
- However, shifts in fish populations, such as Arctic cod moving northward, could impact seal diets and health over time.
- On land, large caribou herds are declining due to climate change and human infrastructure, raising concerns for Indigenous communities reliant on them for sustenance and cultural identity.
- Indigenous Knowledge: Indigenous peoples possess invaluable knowledge passed down over generations, offering critical insights for adapting to the region’s rapid changes.
Key Initiatives
Emission Reduction Commitments: Arctic nations are urged to commit to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, aiming for a 50% reduction by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
International Agreements: The Paris Agreement serves as a framework for countries to set and achieve climate goals, with a specific focus on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Arctic Council Initiatives: The Arctic Council has established various working groups focused on environmental protection, such as the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME).
Marine Protected Areas: Efforts are underway to establish networks of marine protected areas in the Arctic Ocean to conserve biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Pollution Prevention Measures: The International Maritime Organisation’s Polar Code aims to mitigate shipping impacts in polar waters, including regulations on fuel use and waste discharge.
A Call to Action
- Despite international climate agreements, human emissions of greenhouse gases remain at record levels.
- Simultaneously, natural systems like the Arctic tundra are losing their ability to mitigate these emissions.
- The 2024 Arctic Report Card serves as a stark reminder of the need for urgent global cooperation to reduce emissions, adapt to inevitable changes, and build resilience for the future.
