WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following statement was issued by Janis Searles Jones (@InVeritas_Jones), CEO of Ocean Conservancy, in reaction to the National Snow and Ice Data Center confirmation that 2020 Arctic summer sea ice retreated to the second lowest minimum on record:  

“The alarming loss of Arctic sea ice this summer because of global climate change is a grim confirmation that a region that was once synonymous with sea and ice is melting before our eyes.

“The Arctic is now heating at three times the rate of the rest of the planet according to NOAA, and a recent study suggests the Arctic Ocean could have an annual ice-free period within 15 years.

“The impacts are far-reaching for Arctic Indigenous Peoples and coastal communities, and potentially devastating for Arctic marine ecosystems and their uniquely-adapted wildlife that rely on sea ice.”

“Ocean Conservancy calls for a response that meets the urgency of the climate crisis. The three highest priorities should be slashing global emissions with a just transition to a 100% clean future, investing in sustainable ocean-based mitigation measures including protecting the ability of coastal ecosystems to store carbon, and investing in adaptation measures that protect communities and ecosystems on the frontlines of ocean and climate change.”

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Ocean Conservancy experts are available for interviews upon request.

This NASA Blue Marble image shows Arctic sea ice on September 15, 2020, when sea ice reached its minimum extent for the year. Sea ice extent for September 15 averaged 3.74 million square kilometers (1.44 million square miles)—the second lowest in the satellite record. Image credit: NSIDC / NASA Earth Observatory.