Today we got hold of 3 samples of meltwater from Antarctica.
Science shows very clearly how climate change has already changed the Poles and the Alps. Take, for example, a brand new study published in the scientific journal Nature. It shows that the mountain range today has 36 fewer days of snow compared to the period before we started releasing CO2 in large quantities around the year 1900. Before that, the snow cover had of course varied from year to year, but overall had been stable for 500 years .
The snow from the Alps is not only important for ski tourism. A large number of species depend on the snow, which, together with the glaciers, makes the Alps “the most important water-supplying mountain range in Europe”. The “unprecedented” reduction in the number of days with snow in the Alps should make the public react, according to the researchers behind the study in Nature.
It was precisely the lack of snow last winter, combined with an extremely dry and hot summer, that created drought problems across large parts of Europe last summer. Back then, rivers dried up, drinking water had to be rationed in several places, and in the south of France water was even distributed to residents. The drought cost agriculture a large part of the harvest and many billions in lost income.
Most recently the first UN Water Conference in 50 years held in New York heard accounts of global impact of floods, droughts, tropical storms, pollution and other water-related problems. The urgency displayed adds pressure to put water front and center of discussion at COP28. About 90% of climate impacts are related to water, yet currently only 3% of climate finance is dedicated to water resources.