Too late now to save Arctic summer ice, climate scientists find

Summer Arctic ice has shrunk by 13% a decade since satellite records began in 1979. Photograph: Dirk Notz/AP

It is now too late to save summer Arctic sea ice, research has shown, and scientists say preparations need to be made for the increased extreme weather across the northern hemisphere that is likely to occur as a result.

Analysis shows that even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced, the Arctic will be ice-free in September in coming decades. The study also shows that if emissions decline slowly or continue to rise, the first ice-free summer could be in the 2030s, a decade earlier than previous projections.