International Cryosphere Climate Initiative

How can cryosphere science shape climate policy?

AMI Chief Science Advisor Dr. James Kirkham explains how cryosphere science can inform UN climate negotiations, build political ambition, and help protect melting snow and ice at a critical moment for climate action.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyfD...

ICCI's @jdkirkham.bsky.social will be speaking next week on cryosphere science diplomacy, what happened at #COP30, and what to look out for in 2026!

Why Greenland is indispensable to global climate science With no Antarctica-style treaty to protect Greenland, a US takeover could mean scientists lose access.

As world leaders, businesses and civil society gather in #Davos for the #WEF, here is a timely reminder why Greenland is indispensable to global #climate science 🧪

via: Prof Martin Siegert in @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/why-greenlan...

Why Greenland is indispensable to global climate science With no Antarctica-style treaty to protect Greenland, a US takeover could mean scientists lose access.

As world leaders, businesses and civil society gather in #Davos for the #WEF, here is a timely reminder why Greenland is indispensable to global #climate science 🧪

via: Prof Martin Siegert in @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/why-greenlan...

Earth’s frozen regions are sending a clear warning about climate change – but politicians are ignoring it!

👇Commentary in @theconversation.com about recent efforts to downplay and diminish #science at #COP30

🧪🌊❄️

Earth’s frozen regions are sending a clear warning about climate change – but politicians are ignoring it The warning lights from the cryosphere have been flashing red for several years and governments and policymakers ignore this at their peril.

Earth’s frozen regions are sending a clear warning about climate change – but politicians are ignoring it

theconversation.com/earths-froze...

Glaciers to reach peak rate of extinction in the Alps in eight years Climate crisis forecast to wipe out thousands of glaciers a year globally, threatening water supplies and cultural heritage

Limiting warming to 1.5°C could more than double the number of glaciers surviving by 2100 compared with 2.7°C, and prevent the near-complete loss expected under 4.0°C warming.

News coverage: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Globally:

Glacier loss under 1.5°C is projected to peak around 2040, maxing out at ~2,000 glaciers lost per year.

Peak glacier loss under 4.0°C would culminate in the mid-2050s at ~4,000 glaciers per year, equivalent to losing the entire glacier population of the European Alps in just one year.

Over 45,000 glaciers in the western US and Canada will shrink by 70% by 2100 even if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C. Their loss rises to 90% under 2.7°C.

In central Europe, about 87% of today’s 3,000 glaciers will disappear under 1.5°C, but they almost completely vanish under 2.7°C.

Rising temperatures could to lead to the loss of thousands of glaciers per year, with up to ~4,000 vanishing annually under high emissions.

1.5°C could halve this loss 🧵

@landervt.bsky.social @harryzeko.bsky.social @matthias-huss.bsky.social @davidrounce.bsky.social @lilianschuster.bsky.social

Vanishing Ice and Snow: Global Impacts and Regional Solutions for Resilient Mountains YouTube video by UN Environment Programme

Speaking from UNEP HQ in Nairobi, ICCI’s AMI Chief Science Advisor Dr. James Kirkham will kick off with a presentation on the latest cryosphere science.

⏰ Dec. 11, 15:15-17:15 GMT+3

Watch live: www.youtube.com/live/R21VGHf...

Join us at UNEA-7 this Thursday Dec. 11 on International Mountain Day:

Moderated by @unep.org's Mr. Lewis Pugh, the event will focus on cryosphere changes, regional solutions for mountain ecosystems, and frameworks for assessing losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

🔗 Livestream below!

Reflections on COP30 Global Mutirão final decision text:

YouTube video by International Cryosphere Climate Initiative After COP30 Fire and Floods: AMOC Shutdown

Despite 🔥 and 🌧 at #COP30, we are happy to share the latest info on #AMOC shutdown from @rahmstorf.bsky.social, including perspectives from Iceland and UK govs filmed after the COP venue was evacuated!

Important messages to heed as COP30 negotiations go to the wire!

🧪🌊

youtu.be/B-0eQnEEsYA

International Cryosphere Climate Initiative International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) is a network of senior policy experts and researchers aiming to spread cryosphere science and preserve the cryosphere's key role in Earth's climate s...

Pleased I could participate remotely in COP30 yesterday to talk about the impact of changing ice conditions on emperor penguins - at the fantastic @iccinet.bsky.social pavilion. The ICCI do great work at COP, highlighting the importance of limiting warming for the cryo: www.youtube.com/@iccinet

Happening in less than 1 hr here at #COP30

YouTube video by International Cryosphere Climate Initiative Latest Science on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) and Impacts of Shutdown

For those joining online, the event will be livestreamed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmE7...

Tomorrow at #COP30 and online @rahmstorf.bsky.social will present latest AMOC science & potential impacts of shutdown

The event will be chaired by Minister Johannsson of Iceland and will include perspectives from representatives of Ireland, UK, Canada, and Finland

iccinet.org/cop30-cryosp...

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For anyone at #COP30 today or online, the Cryosphere Pavilion is hosting a quiz at 6.30 pm today!

Come and test how much you know about the Earth's frozen regions and their relevance for the negotiations happening live in Belem!

4/ Emissions cuts? Temperature limits? 🧊 As @iccinet.bsky.social says, we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice.

“Losing sea ice is making climate change up to 15 percent worse than it would otherwise be.” — @edoddridge.bsky.social @utas.edu.au

▶️ aapp.shorthandstories.com/a-world-with...

Some snapshots from #COP30 and the Cryosphere Pavilion, where Prof. Gustaf Hugelius will soon take the stage (🔗 livestream in our previous post).

Below are a few insights from earlier today, when Prof. Hugelius moderated one of the sessions.

@iccinet.bsky.social @stockholm-uni.bsky.social

YouTube video by International Cryosphere Climate Initiative Permafrost-Climate Feedbacks & How is Permafrost Mapped from Space and on the Ground?

Tonight at 19:30 CEST, or 15:30pm Belém time, deputy director Gustaf Hugelius will be moderating the session "Permafrost-Climate Feedbacks & How is Permafrost Mapped from Space and on the Ground?"

Follow it live from the @iccinet.bsky.social Cryosphere Pavilion at #COP30 below!

YouTube video by International Cryosphere Climate Initiative Permafrost Thaw is Warming the Global Climate and Impacts Communities, Health, and Oceans

Later on tonight, at 18:30pm Belém time (GMT-3), Prof. Gustaf Hugelius will be presenting under the session: "Permafrost Thaw is Warming the Global Climate and Impacts Communities, Health, and Oceans."

Watch it live (or later) straight from the @iccinet.bsky.social Cryosphere Pavilion at #COP30. 👇

Week 2 of the #COP30 Cryosphere Pavilion is underway!

Key themes include thresholds and tipping points (Monday), adaptation in alpine glacier regions (Tuesday), ice sheets and sea-level rise (Wednesday), sea ice (Thursday), and pathways to 1.5°C (Friday).

Full schedule iccinet.org/cop30-cryosp...

Next week’s themes include:

•⁠ ⁠Thresholds & Tipping Points – Nov. 17
•⁠ ⁠Glaciers & Snow Financing – Nov. 18
•⁠ ⁠Ice Sheets – Nov. 19
•⁠ ⁠Sea Ice – Nov. 20
•⁠ ⁠Feasible Pathways to 1.5°C – Nov. 21

Full Cryosphere Pavilion schedule: iccinet.org/cop30-cryosp...

See you on Monday for Week 2!

Week 1 of #COP30 is a wrap in Belém.

Today’s events highlighted global links between glaciers, water security, climate finance, and ecosystem resilience — from Andes adaptation and glacier-risk financing to Amazon-cryosphere connections.

Missed an event? All sessions available at: lnkd.in/g4xgPcgf

Cop day 5 live: Indigenous activists blockade the summit centre as climate conference continues As the climate conference goes into its fifth day, with huge amounts still unresolved, there were reports that activists had blockaded the entrance to the centre

“We cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice” -striking message from @iccinet.bsky.social report

Ice melt leads to the most profound long-term impact of the #climatecrisis - sea level rise

#climatecrisis
Post by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@ipcc.bsky.social @climateanalytics.org @arcticcouncil.bsky.social @geogdurham.bsky.social @cleanarctic.bsky.social @pml.ac.uk @woodwellclimate.bsky.social @ccacoalition.bsky.social @icimod.bsky.social @awi.de @bas.ac.uk @umassamherst.bsky.social

HAPPENING TODAY

The Perils of Ignoring Science and 1.5°C at #COP30: Tipping Points in the Cryosphere, Their Impacts & How to Avoid Them

📍 COP30 Blue Zone, Side Event Room 9, Area C
⏰ 15:00-16:30 BRT, Nov. 14

Dr. Chris Stokes, Dr. James Kirkham, Dr. Bill Hare, Dr. Norma Shorty, Dr. Al-Saiful Islam

⬇️ LAUNCHED TODAY ⬇️

State of the Cryosphere Report 2025

Over 50 leading cryosphere scientists warn that current climate commitments, leading the world to well over 2°C, spell disaster for billions from global ice loss – but that damage can still be prevented.

Read here:

iccinet.org/statecryo25/