29/05 • THE ARCTIC

This week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued a grave warning: there is now an 86% chance that at least one year between 2025 and 2029 will exceed the 1.5°C temperature threshold set by the Paris Agreement. This marks a sobering milestone for global climate stability.

Of urgent concern is the Arctic, which is warming more than 3.5 times faster than the global average. As sea ice retreats and permafrost thaws, the consequences extend far beyond the polar region. Coastal communities from Bangladesh to the Solomon Islands face rising seas. In East Africa, erratic weather linked to polar warming is already disrupting rainfall patterns, worsening food insecurity and displacement. And in parts of the Pacific and Caribbean, low-lying villages face the prospect of relocation - not in the future, but now.

For many, these changes mean not just environmental loss but personal upheaval: harvests that fail, homes that flood, and childhoods spent in temporary shelters. The communities least responsible for these emissions are the ones paying the highest price.

Climate-linked disasters are intensifying across every region. Yet as the Arctic melts, so does the margin for delay. The WMO’s findings are a call not only for governments to act, but for people to make space for compassion; to remember those already suffering, and to advocate for decisions that protect the vulnerable.