The State of Play - August 5, 2023

In this edition: The loss of Antarctic ice, an update on the Spanish election, the BRICS, when we engage in sustainable actions and more progress on sustainability standards.

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The loss of sea ice

With all the attention paid recently to the current impacts of the massive heat waves and forest fires, it is easy to forget about the knock-on effects of climate change on ecosystems outside of our immediate environment.

2 August 2023 - Antarctic Sea Ice Is at a ‘Very Concerning’ Record Low (Delger Erdenesanaa and Leanne Abraham, The New York Times): “At the end of June, ice covered 4.5 million square miles, or 11.7 million square kilometers, of ocean around the continent, according to NSIDC data. That’s nearly a million square miles less than the expected average from approximately 40 years of satellite observations….The record low might signal a shift in the sea ice system to a new, unstable state where extremes become more common, but Dr. Zhang cautioned that scientists are still investigating this question. Sea ice around Antarctica typically freezes from February to August and then melts until the next Southern Hemisphere winter. Several ocean and atmosphere patterns influence how much ice grows or shrinks, and the overlapping interactions between these forces are complicated.”

Source: The New York Times

The massive Antarctic ice sheet has historically helped keep temperatures manageable by deflecting the sun’s rays back up into space. However, even small-scale reductions would reduce this effect, while also raising ocean levels and increasing the risk of flooding around the world.

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An update on Spain’s election