Greenland has been melting at an alarming rate for the last two decades. In fact, in just a single day, it lost 2 billion tons of ice. Scientists just released a new report to take a look at how this mass melting event compares with history.
The findings are not good.
According to the report, Greenland is currently melting at a rate of 6,000 billion tonnes per century. Taking a look at simulations has uncovered that this melting rate hasn’t been seen in the last 12,000 years.
The closest thing we found was close to 10,000 years ago when the Earth was experiencing a hot phase. So what could possibly be the difference between then and now?
Humans.
10,000 Years Ago Vs. Now
Around 10,000 years ago, humanity couldn’t impact the environment the way it does today. Instead, the warming event was completely natural and lasted for some time.
Remember, the exact length or date is unknown.
Whereas today, our melting event is tied to greenhouse gas emissions raising the temperature. And it’s not a pretty picture, in fact, it’s as bad as it gets. The current melt rate is on track for the worst-case scenario, without any signs of stopping.
And it’s not just Greenland that is melting, but also Antarctica.
Still Time to Change
Luckily, there is still time to change. If the world can get its emissions curbed by 2050, melting would come under control. Currently, if nothing changes, Greenland will add 4 inches to the sea level, whereas if curbed, only one inch will be added.
While that might not sound severe, it is important to remember that is just Greenland. Antarctica and other ice regions are melting as well. And they are starting to pick up the pace and may begin melting more than Greenland.
One thing is clear, emissions need to be curbed.
