HQ Team
December 6, 2024: Over 450 polar scientists at the inaugural Australian Antarctic Research Conference, held from November 19 to 22, 2024, in Hobart, Tasmania, have issued a call for urgent action to address the climate emergency impacting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The ice in the white continent is melting at twice the rate of the rest of the world and will impact the global infrastructure, economy and security
This conference was held to discuss the critical role these regions play in regulating Earth’s climate and their significance for future global sustainability. The researchers emphasized that Antarctic and Southern Ocean science must be integral to climate policy discussions, as these areas are often overlooked in public discourse and policymaking. They argued for greater attention to this vital region, which holds the potential to influence global sea-level rise significantly.
The sizzling southern hemisphere
According to the latest global climate report from the National Centers for Environmental Information, the Southern Hemisphere had a record-breaking October, with 0.91 degrees Celsius (1.64 Fahrenheit) above average, the eleventh hottest October on record.
The warming there, which is nearly twice as fast as the rest of the world, has consequences well beyond the region. Antarctica harbors 90% of the world’s ice, concentrated in a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) thick layer. Antarctica is melting ice more than six times faster than it was 20 years ago, according to satellite imagery. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone could raise sea levels by approximately 50 meters if fully melted, posing severe risks to coastal cities worldwide.
Alarming ice melt
The conference highlighted the importance of cross-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations among scientists. The predominantly early-career researchers gathered at the conference, stressed that protecting Antarctica is not only an environmental responsibility but also crucial for Australia’s economic and national security.
Recent alarming trends observed in Antarctica include record-low sea ice levels and extreme heatwaves that have surpassed average temperatures by over 40°C. These changes underscore the urgent need for researchers to understand the dynamics of ice sheet melting and its contributions to sea-level rise, which could have catastrophic implications within our lifetimes.
“Nowhere on Earth is there a greater cause of uncertainty in sea-level rise projections than from East Antarctica, in Australia’s backyard. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone holds enough water to raise global sea levels by approximately 50 meters [164 feet] if completely melted. Implications for our coastal cities and infrastructure are immense,” the statement from the polar scientists at the conference read. “It is in the best interest of Australia and the world that our researchers understand how much and how fast the ice sheet will continue changing. Predicting how much this region will contribute to sea-level rise is critical to the welfare of the global community.”
The conference was jointly sponsored by several key organizations, including the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). As articulated by the participants, “Every fraction of a degree matters,” emphasizing that rapid reductions in emissions are essential to prevent further climate destabilization.
