SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

* indicates required
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Global Sea Ice Hits Lowest Levels 'Probably in Millenia'

Global sea ice levels are at their lowest in recorded history, according to a new statistics from the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center. (Photo: mariusz kluzniak/flickr/cc)

Global Sea Ice Hits Lowest Levels 'Probably in Millenia'

'The human world has never experienced a time when global sea ice was so weak and reduced'

Global sea ice levels are at their lowest in recorded history, according to new statistics from the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center.

In the Arctic, the loss is due to climate change and extreme weather events that are likely influenced by global warming, while the changes in the Antarctic may be attributed to natural variability, the center said.

(Image: U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center)

But as a result of the declines in both regions, the total loss of ice is likely at the lowest it's been for thousands of years, said meteorologist Eric Holthaus.

It's "probably the lowest in millenia," he tweeted.

Environmental and social justice writer Robert Scribbler noted that global sea ice "fell off a cliff" in December 2016--or, as 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben put it, 2016 was the year "global sea ice fell off the table."

"The human world has never experienced a time when global sea ice was so weak and reduced," Scribbler wrote.

That's important because, as Common Dreams has reported, sea ice loss is linked to extreme weather and rising waters, while fewer glaciers mean a darker surface of the Earth--which in turn increases absorption of the sun's energy, further fueling climate change.

Climate scientists warned last year that Arctic ice is at risk of disappearing for the first time in more than 100,000 years.

An Unconstitutional Rampage


Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next.

It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk.

Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.