A 5˚C Arctic

The document outlines the severe risks facing the Arctic as global temperatures rise, noting that a 2°C global increase could lead to a 4-5°C increase in the Arctic. It calls for immediate global decarbonization, the scaling of carbon dioxide removal, and urgent support for Arctic community adaptation and relocation.

• The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world, and under all emissions scenarios, significant warming and ice loss are expected over the next 20 to 30 years, leading to physical, biological, and societal changes.
• A global temperature increase of between 1.5 and less than 2 degrees Celsius, as targeted by the Paris Climate Agreement, could result in a temperature rise of approximately 4 to 5 degrees Celsius for the Arctic region.
• To prevent dangerous environmental impacts, there is an urgent need to accelerate the decarbonization of the global energy system, scale up alternative energy production, and increase the research and deployment of global carbon dioxide removal.
• Arctic communities currently lack the necessary policy and infrastructural frameworks to adapt to climate change and require immediate support for strategic adaptation, which may include relocation.
• Increased investment in science is required to monitor the pan-Arctic observing system and identify tipping points for critical components such as permafrost, sea ice, and ice sheets, which provide global services like carbon storage and sea level regulation.

APA

Schlosser, P., Pfirman, S., Pomerance, R., Williams, M., Ack, B., Duffy, P., Eicken, H., Latif, M., Murray, M., & Wallace, D. (2016). A 5˚C Arctic. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/101/520i13q00_5C_Arctic_2pager_NEW_lowres.pdf

Chicago

Schlosser, Peter, Stephanie Pfirman, Rafe Pomerance, Margaret Williams, Brad Ack, Phil Duffy, Hajo Eicken, et al. A 5˚C Arctic. WWF International, 2016. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/101/520i13q00_5C_Arctic_2pager_NEW_lowres.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{schlosser2016arctic, author = {Schlosser, Peter and Pfirman, Stephanie and Pomerance, Rafe and Williams, Margaret and Ack, Brad and Duffy, Phil and Eicken, Hajo and Latif, Mojib and Murray, Maribeth and Wallace, Doug}, title = {{A 5˚C Arctic}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/101/520i13q00_5C_Arctic_2pager_NEW_lowres.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }