France commits a billion Euros to polar research amid ice caps, glaciers' melting concerns
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"I know that climate change is seen as a soft issue [compared with wars and national security]… but we can’t negotiate with the melting point of ice," warned Pam Pearson, founder and director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
France has committed to spending €1 billion ($1.07 billion or £880 million) in polar research by 2030.
The step, as per reports, is in response to growing scientific concern over the accelerating melting of the world's ice caps and glaciers.
Macron's speech
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Speaking at a summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised the urgent need for action, stating, "We are not talking about a threat for tomorrow, but one that is already present and accelerating. We are talking about a transformation of the cryosphere [the Earth's ice] that already threatens millions and will threaten billions of the planet's inhabitants with multiple direct and indirect consequences."
Also read | Global fossil fuel production plans threaten 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold: UN report
As per The Guardian, a new polar science vessel will lead the initiative. France is urging a moratorium on seabed exploitation in polar regions, with several countries, including the UK, Canada, Brazil, and 19 others, signing up.
John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, who did not attend the Paris summit, sent a video message. In it, he warned: "We must understand the tipping points, the points which there is no reclaiming, there is no coming back."
Polar temperatures: A cause for concern
Rising temperatures at both poles, resulting in heatwaves, have raised concerns among scientists.
As one scientist put it, it is "gobsmackingly bananas," this year, marked as the hottest on record — probably the hottest in 100,000 years — has witnessed ocean temperatures well above normal levels.
The Earth's ice caps play a crucial role in reflecting sunlight back into space, known as the "albedo effect," and their melting could trigger rapid climate change by reducing this reflection.
"I know that climate change is seen as a soft issue [compared with wars and national security]… but we can’t negotiate with the melting point of ice," warned Pam Pearson, founder and director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative.
(With inputs from agencies)
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