The Arctic is warming three times faster than the planet since 1971, more than previously believed, warns an Arctic Monitoring and Assessment (AMAP) report.
“An important update is that the average annual increase in Arctic surface area (land and ocean) between 1971 and 2019 was three times greater than the global average increase over the same period. It is more than indicated in previous AMAP estimates," the authors said.
The previous update, published in 2019, showed that warming in the Arctic reached "more than double the global average", a gap that is further accentuated in winter.
In less than half a century, from 1971 to 2019, the average annual temperature in this northern region rose 3,1 degrees Celsius, while the planet warmed at the same time by 1 degree Celsius, according to the updated document.
"Under most greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the vast majority of models (…) suggest that, before 2050, the Arctic will be nearly ice-free for the first time in September, the month in which it is typically at its lowest." , the authors of the report added.
According to projections cited by the report, average Arctic temperatures should rise by the end of the century between 3,3 and 10 degrees Celsius above their 1985-2014 average.
The exact figure depends on the future volume of greenhouse gas emissions.
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