The Greenland Ice Sheet, which has a central role in the global climate system owing to its size, has faced the warmest temperature in at least the last 1,000 years, according to a study.
Researchers have been studying the Greenland ice sheet for years, and on Wednesday they published their findings in the journal Nature. They also cautioned that the melting of Greenland's ice, which is the primary cause of the rising sea level, might endanger coastal cities all over the world.
According to the researchers, the period between 2001 and 2011 saw an average temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius over the previous century.
The study, which was carried out by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, examined Greenland's enormous ice sheet by drilling up to 100 feet into its core. It concluded that human-caused global warming is to blame for the "recent extreme" temperature rise in Greenland, despite the fact that a slower long-term rate of warming has been noticed on the island since 1800.
Glaciologist Maria Horhold, the study's lead author and a member of the Alfred Wegener Institute, told CNN that "Greenland is the largest contributor currently to sea level rise. And if we keep on going with the carbon emissions as we do right now, then by 2100, Greenland will have contributed up to 50 centimetres to sea level rise, and this will affect millions of people who live in coastal areas."
Meanwhile, in a stern warning, two climate experts on Wednesday cited scientific studies to assert that human activity is pushing Earth to the brink of a dangerous climate tipping point and that immediate action is needed to safeguard humanity's future and protect our planet.
In a special presentation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 here, they presented groundbreaking research to set out a framework of 'Earth System Boundaries' that can secure a safe and just planet for all.
The presentation was made by Johan Rockstrom, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and Joyeeta Gupta, Professor of Environment and Development in the Global South at the University of Amsterdam and, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.
They said we are taking colossal risks with the future of civilization and are destabilising the interconnected systems, our global commons, that ensure a stable and resilient planet, a prerequisite for human prosperity and equity for all.
"The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average. Sea ice is shrinking, and we're likely to see ice-free Arctic summers before 2050. This will be irreversible," the duo said.
Greenland is losing trillions of tonnes of ice every decade. This ice loss is accelerating, and Greenland contains enough water to raise sea levels by 7 metres.
"The cold freshwater released by Greenland is slowing the major circulation in the Atlantic Ocean, which controls the thermostat of Europe. This is irreversible," as per their graphic presentation.
The Atlantic Ocean current affects rainfall over the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon, one of the most important stores of carbon on Earth, is drying out and losing its ability to store carbon, they pointed out.
(With inputs from PTI)
