Arctic Warming and International Law

Not all warming is created equal. Although global warming is (as its name indicates) global in scope, its magnitude and impacts vary widely between regions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Arctic, which by one estimate has been warming four times as fast as the global average since 1979, due to a phenomenon known as “Arctic amplification.” 1 Already, with “only” about 1.3ºC of global warming (as compared to pre-industrial levels), Arctic ice and snow are melting, Arctic permafrost is thawing, and Arctic glaciers are shrinking. These effects will only increase in magnitude as global warming continues. If the globe warms by 2.7ºC, as is currently projected if states implement their emission reduction pledges under the Paris Agreement, the Arctic will warm by more than 10ºC in the winter and will be “transformed beyond contemporary recognition.” 2