8:30 Cryosphere Coordination Meeting
Daily coordination meetings and negotiations updates will be held every morning the Cryosphere Pavilion.
Contact: Stefan Ruchti (stefan@iccinet.org) or Pam Pearson (pam@iccinet.org)

10:00 Creating Space for Nature: Visions of Arctic Futures Aligned with the 1.5°C Emission Reduction Goal
The planetary cryosphere is shrinking in response to rising temperatures. Because of climate change, these ice-covered regions are losing their natural safeguards against extractive industries wanting to tap into marine and terrestrial environments containing non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and minerals that were deemed previously inaccessible. In the Arctic region, the extractive sector’s ambitions are rapidly expanding. In the face of intensifying pressures and competing interests, the need to safeguard Arctic nature has never been more urgent. Speakers will discuss the global and regional implication of growing extractivism in the Arctic and the associated levels of greenhouse gas emissions, incompatible with the global 1.5°C emissions reductions pathways. This session will develop and share visions of possible futures in which Arctic nature is safeguarded from the negative impacts of climate change and industrial pressures, via promoting and sustaining coordinated efforts to retain the function and resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems.
#UNFCCC Paris Agreement #Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
WWF Global Arctic Programme

11:30 Norwegian Arctic Council Chairship: Overview of Achievements and Goals
Summary of Norway’s goals and accomplishments during its 2023-2025 chairship.
Morten Høglund, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials (SAOC)

13:00 Ice Sheet Dynamics and Future Sea Level Rise at +1.5 °C
Mass loss from the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica has quadrupled since the 1990s and they now represent the dominant source of sea-level rise, with potential to add over 15 m by 2300. This has focused attention on the temperature thresholds that might trigger their irreversible retreat and prompted urgent calls to meet the more ambitious target of the Paris Agreement and limit warming to 1.5 °C. This event will summarize the latest science, much of it post IPCC AR6, to highlight the worrying changes already taking place and the clear risks of exceeding 1.5°C.
Durham University, UK

14:30 & 16:00 Together Towards the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
The climate crisis is a growing threat to the global cryosphere. On the occasion of the arrival of the United Nations International Year of Glacier Conservation in 2025, this side event will launch the Chinese young explorer Wen Xu’s expedition to the Antarctic under the theme of “International Year of Glacier Preservation 2025”, and discuss how the whole society can act together to meet the challenges, especially encouraging the leadership of young leaders. The side event will bring together experts, scholars, environmental organizations, youth representatives, business representatives, scientists and more to share positive strategies and innovative cases under climate change and jointly gather strength for the upcoming Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Note: This event will be held in English and Chinese.
Polar Hub, International Cryosphere and Climate Initiative

18:00 The Arctic in a Changing Climate and its Global Impacts
The Arctic Climate Change Update 2024 of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) of the Arctic Council provides an update on some of the rapid and unprecedented changes occurring in the Arctic climate system. The report reveal new record-setting trends in air and permafrost temperatures, wildfires, and sea ice minima. These latest observations highlight the increasing severity of Arctic climate change, with significant implications for the global climate system.
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)