Climate Change and Global Warming refer to the ongoing increase in the Earth's average surface temperature, including both land and oceans, primarily observed since the mid-20th century.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, are the primary drivers of global warming. These activities lead to higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which trap heat and disrupt natural climate patterns.
Climate change is widely recognized as one of the most pressing issues in the Arctic, and globally, it stands as one of the most critical challenges humanity faces in the 21st century.
While there are still some voices claiming that human-driven climate change is not real, most of the scientific community agrees that the evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that human actions are significantly contributing to the warming of the planet. The number of scientists questioning the human impact on climate change has dwindled significantly, with those questioning its anthropogenic nature becoming increasingly rare.
According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the annual mean surface temperature for the region north of 64°N (just south of the Arctic Circle at 66° 33'N) in 2021 was approximately 2.28°C higher than the long-term average for the 1951-1980 period.
According to NOAA's Arctic Report Card, 2024 was the Arctic's second-warmest year on record, based on data going back to 1900. Temperatures across the Arctic (60–90°N) were 1.20°C (2.16°F) above the 1991–2020 average for the period October 2023–September 2024.
Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing rapidly since the late 20th century, and since 1992, they have consistently remained above the long-term mean, with no significant drop in sight for nearly 30 years.
