What the Arctic will look like by 2100 if climate change continues, according to science

There's no denying that climate change could have devastating impacts on our planet, but right now, it's easy to take an "out of sight, out of mind" approach to the reality.

But new research makes it all too real, because they've detailed exactly how the Arctic could look by 2100 - and it's not great.

In 2024, global air temperatures surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time, and the effects could be seen through extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall in the Sahara desert and record-breaking heat waves across Europe. It was also the hottest year on record.

In a new paper titled "Disappearing landscapes: The Arctic at +2.7°C global warming," everything we can expect to see happen to our planet - and the Arctic in particular - is set out dependent on the path humans take between now and the end of the century.

"The Arctic is warming at four times the rate of the rest of the planet," warns byJulienne Stroeve, senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and professor at the Centre for Earth Observation Science at the University of Manitoba.

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"At 2.7 degrees Celsius of global warming, we will see more extreme and cascading impacts in this region than elsewhere, including sea-ice-free Arctic summers, accelerated melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, widespread permafrost loss, and more extreme air temperatures. These changes will devastate infrastructure, ecosystems, vulnerable communities, and wildlife."

Should we manage to keep temperatures below 2.7 degrees, the outcome isn't that much more favourable.

In fact, the Arctic region will still face a number of summer months with no ice left in the sea, surface-level permafrost will decrease by 50 per cent of pre-industrial levels, air temperatures will exceed pre-industrial levels almost every day of the year, and the increased melting rate of the Greenland Ice Sheet will see sea levels rise faster.

"Our paper shows that, already today, mankind has the power to wipe out entire landscapes from the surface of our planet," said Dirk Notz, professor for polar research at the University of Hamburg and co-author of the study.

"It'd be amazing if we could become more aware of this power and the responsibility that goes with it, as the future of the Arctic truly lies in our hands."

Other devastating impacts of climate change could see 99 per cent of our coral reefs gone, several hundred million more people may be exposed to climate-related risks and susceptible to poverty by 2050, and we could face more days of extreme weather ahead.

Of course, the climate of our environment has shifted naturally throughout the years, but this huge acceleration caused by human actions is already having negative consequences, and it's up to us to slow it down.

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