As global carbon emissions continue to reach record-high numbers, scientists have issued an ominous warning regarding the potential for widespread devastation worldwide.
What's happening?
According to a recent study, a team of researchers has determined that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is at an increased risk of completely collapsing due to continually high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Even with progressive shifts in dirty fuel usage, realistic reductions in CO2 may still not be enough to prevent more abrupt changes.
Dr. Nerilie Abram, chief scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division and co-author of the study, noted that the collapse of the WAIS would likely result in "catastrophic consequences for generations to come." A potential collapse of the WAIS could raise global sea levels by more than three meters.
"Rapid change has already been detected across Antarctica's ice, oceans and ecosystems, and this is set to worsen with every fraction of a degree of global warming," Abram said. If this warming continues, the retreat of the ice sheet would become irreversible, and coastal communities around the world would be in grave danger.
Why is the potential collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet important?
Abram explains that "other changes to the continent could soon become unstoppable, including the loss of Antarctic ice shelves and vulnerable parts of the Antarctic ice sheet that they hold behind them." This can have cascading effects on the rest of the planet.
As noted in the study, the loss of sea ice accelerates the rise of the global temperature by reducing Earth's reflectivity, which leads to more heat absorption by the ocean. This warming can then result in the increase of more intense storms and the disturbance of global weather patterns and precipitation.
Matthew England, a researcher from the ARC Australian Center for Excellence in Antarctic Science, warned that humans won't be alone in dealing with the effects of mass ice loss. "Another potential risk is a collapse in the Antarctic overturning circulation, which would mean vital nutrients remain at the seafloor, instead of being recirculated back to the surface where biological systems, including marine animals, depend on them," England said.
What's being done about global emissions?
While Antarctica is continuing to face devastating and abrupt changes to its landscape, the rest of the world will have to adapt quickly. "Governments, businesses and communities will need to factor in these abrupt Antarctic changes that are being observed now into future planning for climate change impacts, including in Australia," added Abram.
According to Abram, the only real way to prevent continuing changes is to reduce gas emissions fast enough to limit global warming to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible. This mission has been echoed by the Paris Agreement, which 195 countries have adopted. The initiative aims to reduce our planet's reliance on fossil fuel consumption while implementing comprehensive policies to harness more renewable energy resources.
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