The climate threat|Global challenges

30 million tons of ice melt every hour in Greenland 

 

The Greenland ice sheet is melting away at a rate of 30 million tonnes per hour due to climate change – a 20 percent faster rate of melting than previously thought, according to a new study according to The Guardian.  

 

Scientists now fear that the increased flow of fresh water into the North Atlantic could mean that the ocean current Amoc comes closer to collapse, which would have a huge impact on the climate - not least in Northern Europe. 

 

- The changes around Greenland are incredible and are happening everywhere - almost every glacier has retreated in the past decades, says Nasa researcher Chad Greene, who led the study.   

.................................................................

 

Scientists: Does Antarctica Really Need Tourism?  

 

Travel to the frozen South Pole, Antarctica, is hot. During the current season, the number of tourists is expected to reach 100,000 for the first time. This is an increase of over 40 percent compared to previous records, writes the BBC. 

 

Despite a grim climate to say the least, trips are organized by helicopter, superyacht and even submarine to the continent.  

 

Unfortunately, increasing tourism is the last thing the delicate South Pole ecosystem needs, according to scientists.  

 

- At some point it will be too much - but we don't know where that limit is, says Elizabeth Leane, professor of Antarctic studies at the University of Tasmania, to the BBC.