My Climate Change News

In some cases, the pace of change has dramatically exceeded expectations. In 1990 West Antarctica was a region of concern but not expected to lose major amounts of ice in the next century. But by 2019 our observations show glaciers in West Antarctica retreating rapidly. This has contributed to an accelerating rise in global sea level. There are also emerging concerns for the stability of parts of the East Antarctic ice sheet once thought to be protected from human-caused climate warming. This demonstrates the tendency for IPCC assessments to understate the scientific evidence. Climate science is often accused of being alarmist - particularly by those trying to delay climate change action - but in fact the opposite is true. The production of IPCC reports by consensus with governments means that statements that appear in the report summaries are justified by multiple lines of scientific evidence. This can lag behind current climate science discoveries. What's next? Plans are already unde