The Importance of the Paris Climate Agreement for Preventing Sea Level Rise from the World’s Largest Ice Sheet in East Antartica

The ice sheet is currently in balance, but there are worrying signs of recent mass loss from some regions. Moreover, a recent analysis of its response to past warm periods, current observations of change, and future modelling indicates that it is highly sensitive to relatively modest warming scenarios that could awaken this ‘sleeping giant’.

Crucially, this analysis demonstrates that satisfying the Paris Climate Agreement should protect the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, but failure to do so could lead to several meters of sea level rise within the next few centuries.

Presented by Chris Stokes and Adam Holden.