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Scientists used to say the Arctic would be ice free by 2050. Now they think certainly by 2030, and perhaps even by about 2016.

The speed of events is why scientists are so worried. The only known way to stop this melt is to cut greenhouse emissions triggering these changes, and there are few signs of that occurring.

''This is absolutely the critical decade for action,'' said Australian climate expert Tim Flannery.

  • In the 1980s average minimum Arctic sea ice was 7.4 million square kilometers.
  • In the 1990s it was 6.8 million.
  • In the 2000s it was 5.7 million.
  • In 2012 it was 3.41 million, the lowest ever.
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12y ago

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