The director of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research has delivered a stark message during a panel discussion this week – that climate change is occurring rapidly in the Arctic.
During the panel, entitled The climate alarm is sounding: When it’s five past twelve and nobody’s in a rush (Klimaalarmen går: Når klokka er fem på tolv, og ingen har det travelt) Nils Gunnar Kvamstø made it clear that there is no time to lose in understanding the seriousness of the situation
‘We are approaching 2030, but are a long way from reaching the climate targets. And there is constantly disturbing climate news, especially from the north,’ he said, adding that his own Institute’s findings in a recent far north survey found that even the Arctic Ocean is no longer a purely arctic ecosystem, with ice receding and invasive species moving north.
‘The results our researchers present support what we already know, and which we have known for a long time. Climate change is happening here and now, and nowhere is it happening as quickly as in the Arctic,’ Nils Gunnar Kvamstø said.
‘As marine research director, it is important for me to be clear. What we are now seeing is serious, and we have no time to lose. Now we must move from words to action so that the generations to come will also be able to derive their livelihoods from the sea.’
