Greenland and the entire Arctic region could be nearing a "tipping point" because of the accelerated rate at which its ice is melting as a result of global warming, according to Dutch Polar explorer and environmentalist Marc Corneilssen.
Speaking in Dublin last night, he said native Inuit people reported that the shape of icebergs breaking off from Greenland's glaciers was changing and they were also much more numerous than previously because of the effects of climate change.
"Another thing that's very clear is that the area where ice is melting in summertime is expanding. It's now close to 2,000 metres above sea level, and that's a significant change. You can also see more snowfall in summer on Greenland's vast ice cap".
He said these were "clear signs" the climate was changing. "The balance is really shifting very quickly, but it's difficult to say at this stage how close we are to the tipping point. It could be closer than we think but nobody knows for sure".
But Mr Corneilssen said there was "every indication that the risk we are taking is getting higher and higher", and could not be ignored by governments.
He challenged the view that "being green will hurt the economy", saying that numerous companies, including large corporations, had found that "saving energy saves money". What's needed, he said, was grassroots action to bring about political change.
Mr Corneilssen was visiting Dublin to promote his Climate Change College. Last year, six students from Britain and the Netherlands won scholarships for the college's six-month course in climate change studies. It is mainly internet-based but includes a 10-day trip to the Arctic to see the effects of global warming.
The college, which is managed from London, is inviting applications from interested young people in Ireland (between 18 and 30) to participate in its next course with a view to becoming a climate change "ambassador", or activist. The deadline for is October 10th, and further information may be obtained at www.climatechangecollege.org
