CAGE/UiT professor delivers key Arctic message to COP26 Climate Summit

World leaders and chief executives from industry and business are gathered in Glasgow this last week for the COP26 Climate Summit.  Here, critical policy decisions are being hammered out that will impact all of us regarding future fossil fuel emissions and time-frames for neutralizing carbon-based economies.

Norway and UiT who are leading these practices have been well represented in science by Alun Hubbard, Professor of Glaciology from the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) at the Institute for Geosciences, UiT, who has been invited to COP26’s inner “blue zone” to engage with politicians, industry leaders and policy decision-makers, and to present his research on the state of the Arctic.

Prof Hubbard gave three keynote talks and multiple interviews on glacier and ice sheet melt driving rapid global sea-level rise, how Arctic sea-ice loss is fueling extreme weather events, and the ticking time-bomb of future Arctic methane release in a warming world.

These presentations were live-streamed, televised and his research was further showcased in a documentary “A Seat at the Table” which features key young influencers and Sir David Attenborough – who gave the emotive opening speech at the climate summit.  In episode 9 and 10 of “A Seat at the Table”, Prof Hubbard’s Greenland research is highlighted, as well as his personal journey by sailboat from Greenland to Glasgow to deliver ice meltwater and young influencers to the COP26 summit.

Prof Hubbard said “Our observations paint a bleak future, but it’s not too late to turn the situation around.  COP26 is the crucial opportunity for world leaders to put differences and self-interest aside and act collectively to curb climate change for the good of the planet and its ecosystems.  We must act now. Business and industry get the message – it’s the politicians who are dithering.  With a week to go,  the pressure is on to come away with genuine policy implementations and not just empty rhetoric and promises.”Professor Alun Hubbard’s keynote presentation (video – 08:55-17:15)

A BBC radio interview with Professor Alun Hubbard (19:35-28:05)

“A Seat at the Table: A World without Ice” (video)