Warning Call from the High North

Open Seminar: Friday 5 April 2019, from 13:00 to 16:00 at the Nordic House in Reykjavík.

Climate science shows how the dynamics of the „cryosphere“ – the world´s snow and icecovered regions – are evidence for the urgency of keeping global warming within 1.5°C this century. High ambition for emissions reductions are key to preventing ever-growing global impacts from climate change. This is because later timing of reductions can trigger cryosphere changes and global feedbacks that may be rapid and irreversible, even after a return to lower temperatures. Cryosphere thresholds – the “Titanic“ of the climate system, slow to turn but with enormous momentum once activated – include ice sheets and mountain glaciers; polar ocean acidification/freshening/warming; Arctic sea ice loss; and permafrost thaw. The IPCC Special Report on 1.5° made clear both that the globe needs to stay within this range, and that it is possible – but the time to turn the ship is growing quite short.

In this seminar, prominent cryosphere scientists, climate negotiators and policy advisers from around the world will discuss this science, the state of international negotiations and what Iceland and other countries are doing to respond.

The seminar is open to the public and conducted in English. See program here.