Is it getting hot in here?
"Yes," said scientists Tuesday.
"As a result of atmosphere and ocean warming, the Arctic is no longer returning to the extensively frozen region of recent past decades," states a report published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Reports like this one can really give a person a bad case of climate anxiety.
The annual study states that air temperatures in the Arctic over the last five years have exceeded all previous records since 1900. It found that 2018 was the region’s second warmest on record, with 2016 being the warmest and that surface air temperatures in the Arctic continue to increase at about twice the rate as the rest of the world, a phenomenon known as "Arctic amplification."
In addition, Arctic sea ice is thinner, younger and covers less area than in the past, says the report. The maximum extent of the Arctic Ocean’s ice in March 2018 was the second lowest in 39 years.
All these changes will have profound effects on people the world over as "growing atmospheric warmth in the Arctic results in a sluggish and unusually wavy jet-stream," states the report.
The overview blames a weakened jet-stream for extreme weather events in both northern and southern latitudes, including a heat wave at the North Pole in the fall of 2017 and a cold-snap in Europe in March 2018 that resulted in scores of weather-related deaths.
In addition, later freeze-up and earlier break-up will be detrimental to Northern communities, where many residents rely on sea ice for hunting and travel.
A warming Arctic will also affect the biosphere of the North, states the report, and everything from seals, walrus, whales and caribou could be in for a rough ride.
So yes, it’s a huge crud sandwich and yes, things are looking grim.
But let’s not fall victim to climate anxiety paralysis. The future is not written in stone.
If we can hold the global temperature increase to 1.5 C, scientists say sea ice is far likelier to survive the summers, the jet-stream will regain its strength and the Arctic will remain the way it belongs: frozen.
The North has a tiny population but it’s a carbon intense society. The costs of moving products to tiny communities, the need to heat our homes during brutal winters, the reliance on extractive resource industries and air travel all put a lot of carbon in the atmosphere, but some of us are trying to do our part.
Last week we reported that the Arctic Energy Alliance’s budget is getting a $9-million boost over the next four years. This means more subsidies and programs for greener energy.
The funding will help the NWT meet its 2030 Energy Strategy goals of increasing energy efficiency in buildings by 15 per cent, increasing the share of renewable energy used for space heating in the territory to 40 per cent and ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in diesel communities by 25 per cent.
Other organizations are also stepping up to the plate. The Northwest Territories Power Corp. is looking to reduce its emissions by building a wind farm in Inuvik.
There’s also Colville Lake’s innovative approach to power that uses a hybrid solar-diesel system.
In 2017, approximately 15 per cent of the community’s electricity demand was satisfied by the solar array, replacing 25,500 litres of diesel.
At Diavik diamond mine, four wind turbines with a capacity to produce 9.2 megawatts of power have been churning away since 2012. At the end of 2017, the power generated by these turbines was equal to 22.1 million litres of diesel.
But the big green initiative for the North in the near future will be the Taltson Hydroelectricity Expansion Project, which would mean expanding the Taltson generating station near Fort Smith and connecting the NWT’s grid to the south. This project – which could cost more than $1 billion – will need federal funding. Without it, it’s almost impossible the territory will meet its 2030 energy goals.
When it comes to climate change, it’s better to spend now than pay later. The worst-case scenario will happen if we do nothing and we can’t afford that.