Impact of climate change on the Arctic ‘scary’, says Obama’s envoy

Climate change is exerting “really scary” impacts on the Arctic with far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world, Barack Obama’s envoy for the region said on Friday.

 

Those changes, from melting sea ice to thawing permafrost and more frequent and severe storms, were leading the US and other countries to step up their presence in the remote and mineral-rich region, said Admiral Robert Papp, the State Department special representative for the Arctic.

 

Obama drew attention to a climate-changed Arctic during a visit to Alaska this week, hiking glaciers, cuddling husky puppies and visiting a remote indigenous community.

 

“It is really kind of scary to see some of the things that are happening – whether it’s damage to villages, the changes in the Arctic we have been talking about earlier, but also when we are talking about some of the significant weather events and the unpredictability of things happening around the world,” Papp told a conference call with reporters on Friday.

 

“Those two ice caps, in the Arctic and the Antarctic, provide cooling, affect ocean currents, winds and the atmosphere, and as we begin to lose those things I think we should all be concerned.”

 

Read More: Impact of climate change on the Arctic ‘scary’, says Obama’s envoy | Environment | The Guardian