Press Conference at UNFCCC Meetings in Bonn: Two Sides of the Same Ice Cube – Thresholds Well Below 1.5°C Paris Limit for Ice Sheets, Glaciers

Major tipping points for Earth’s ice sheets and mountain glaciers can occur at temperatures well below 1.5°C. Lead authors of two recent papers – one on ice sheets, the second on glaciers – urged governments to adopt far more ambitious climate commitments by COP30 to prevent the worst impacts. Historical records show that even current warming levels at 1.2°C, if sustained, will likely lead to several meters of sea-level rise over coming centuries. Earth’s glaciers face an equally dire fate, with four regions – the European Alps, Rockies of the Western U.S. and Canada, Iceland, and Scandinavia – committed to losing at least half their ice at or below sustained 1°C. These same regions lose nearly all ice at 2°C. Speakers include Dr. Chris Stokes from Durham University and Dr. Harry Zekollari from Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

UNFCCC Livestream | Additional Information | Glacier Animations | Antarctic Ice Sheet Animation