climate change
Most read
Latest
-
Most Icelanders Support Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags In Stores
Nearly two-thirds of Icelanders support a blanket ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores, according to the results of a new poll from Market and Media Research, Kjarninn reports. According to the results, 62% said they were very supportive (41%) or…
-
Iceland Set To Explore Emissions Trading
Iceland has not been able to reach its Kyoto Protocol targets, and with the Paris Agreement set to go into effect, the Minister for the Environment plans to take action. Fréttablaðið reports that when Iceland ratified its role in the Kyoto Protocol,…
-
Sea Ice Nearly Reaching Iceland’s Coast
As predicted, sea ice from southeast Greenland has stretched close enough to Iceland’s shores to prompt the Icelandic Coast Guard to take a closer look. The sea ice was detected branching off of Greenland’s east coast last Tuesday, making its way closer…
-
Don’t Ask Nanna: About The Heatwave
Hey Nanna, I planned a holiday in ICEland to get AWAY from hot weather and now I’ve read there’s going to be a heatwave this week! What gives? Florida Man Hey Florida Man, Climate Change is what fucking gives. If you don’t…
-
Iceland’s Environmental Paradox
The average tourist is primed to think of Iceland as the greenest nation on earth. Advertisements endlessly yammer on about “pure nature,” and shots from ‘Game of Thrones’ and popular movies portray Iceland as a vast, cold wilderness untouched by humans. Every…
-
Seal Population Down 77% Since 1980
Iceland’s seal population has decreased by a third in the last six years and is at dangerously low levels, reports RÚV. According to a new report by Iceland’s Marine Research Institute, the seal stock has depleted by 77% since they first began…
-
Skaftafellsjökull Glacier Barely Visible
A ranger with Vatnajökull National Park has published an incredibly sad series of photographs documenting Skaftafellsjökull glacier over the past five years, reports RÚV. “When you look at these pictures and compare them, the change is pretty striking,” said Guðmundur Ögmundsson, the park…
-
Iceland Burns Thousands Of Tonnes Of Coal Each Year, Thanks To Heavy Industry
Iceland burns over 160,000 tonnes of coal yearly, and this will increase to well over 200,000 tonnes of coal over the next three years, due almost entirely to the development of heavy industry in the country. A common conception of Iceland is…
-
Watch A Time Lapse Video Of Climate Change Melting A Glacier
Thanks to the magic of Google Time Lapse, you can now watch the accelerating melting of the glacier feeding into Jökulsárlón. As Vísir reports, Jökulsárlón first came to public attention in the 1930s. Since then, it has gradually grown, while the leg…
-
Wetlands And Taxpayers Drained
The following is a direct response to this article by Ari Trausti Guðmundsson. Wetlands are the biggest store of carbon on land. During 1950 – 1990 the Icelandic government encouraged and fully subsidized draining of half of the country’s wetlands. The drainage…
-
Basements Flood, Storm Drains Overflow In Reykjavík Area
Several days of unusually high rainfall has started to have a significant effect on the capital area. Vísir reports that firefighters were called out four times last evening to deal with flooding basements in and around Reykjavík. As reported, an unusually high…
-
The Arctic Circle Assembly Starts Today
The largest international gathering on Arctic issues, The Arctic Circle Assembly, starts today at Harpa and hosts 2000 participants from more than 40 countries. Taking place until October 9, the conference will cover a wide range of topics, including the impacts of…
-
Reykjavík Aiming To Be Carbon Neutral By 2040
Iceland’s capital has established a formal plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2040. Reykjavík carbon footprint is fairly low as it is. All electricity in the city is derived from hydropower, and heating is provided by geothermally-heated water. However, there is…
-
Science Makes Carbon Recycling Breakthrough In Iceland
New research conducted in Iceland has yielded some very promising results in the field of carbon recycling. According to the findings, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, injecting CO2 into basalt rocks showed a remarkable success rate that…
-
This Summer Has Already Broken Last Summer’s Heat Record
Summer in Iceland is off to a broiling start, and has already broken the heat record made last summer. RÚV reports that in 2015, the northeast Iceland town of Seyðisfjörður broke summer temperature records when the heat climbed to 24.1°C. However, that…
-
Glaciers Melting At Alarming Rate
Iceland’s glaciers have retreated by 500 square kilometres since the turn of the century, and are continuing to melt. RÚV reports furthermore that the glaciers are shrinking by about 40 square kilometres – an area almost roughly the size of Reykjavík –…
-
Iceland Will Be Glacier-Free In 200 Years
Iceland’s glaciers are disappearing at a troubling rate, and the country could be devoid of glaciers in as little as 200 years. Glaciologist Oddur Sigurðsson told attendees of a meeting of The Iceland Touring Association last night that Iceland’s glaciers have been…
-
Icelandic Town Rising From The Sea Due To Climate Change
A chain reaction caused and driven by climate change has made an Icelandic town take a significant rise in elevation in less than 20 years. Höfn í Hornafirði is a town of some 2,200 people in southeast Iceland, resting on a thin…
-
Thin Ozone Layer Over Iceland
The ozone layer over Iceland will remain thin at least until the start of spring, and the thinning itself is due to climate change. Last weekend, clear skies and low ozone levels prompted the Icelandic Met Office to issue a warning to…
-
Foreign Minister: Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson says that fighting against a 2°C warming of the planet will be costly, but Iceland is committed. The Foreign Minister is currently attending the COP21 climate change talks in Paris this week, RÚV reports, where…
-
Icelandic Artist Installing Glacial “Ice Watch” In Paris
Danish-Icelandic artist, Ólafur Elíasson, will be shipping melting glacier ice to Paris to be displayed at the Place de Pantheon during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The Ice Watch, as it is called, is a memorial to the rapidly melting Arctic…
-
Icelandic Companies Eager To Battle Climate Change
A hundred Icelandic companies plan to sign a letter of intent committing to battle climate change prior to the Climate Change Conference due to be held in Paris in December, reports RÚV. “It was a pleasant surprise,” said Ketill Berg Magnússon, Managing…
-
People Live In The Arctic, And Maybe This Is News
A week ago, during a session at the Arctic Circle conference, debates quickly turn to indigenous participation in media outlets, with almost forty-five minutes of white men from both sides of the pond speaking one after the other on the difficulties of…