Written question asked by Marquess of Lothian (Conservative) on Friday, 8 March 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 22 March 2024. It was answered by Lord Callanan (Conservative) on Friday, 22 March 2024 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Climate Change: Arctic

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the threat to the earth’s climate posed by shrinking Arctic sea ice, in the light of a study by the University of Colorado Boulder, published in Nature on 4 March, which found that the Arctic’s first ice-free period could happen within a decade.

Answer: The Government has not assessed this review, however, its findings are consistent with the existing scientific literature and conclusions of the Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This stated that the Arctic will likely be practically ice-free at least once before 2050 with more frequent occurrences under higher warming scenarios. The IPCC concluded that it is virtually certain the Arctic will continue to warm at least two times faster than the rest of the globe. Arctic sea ice retreat has and will lead to a range of impacts, including loss in biodiversity and coastal erosion.

Secondary information