“People from all around the world, politicians and scientists come to Greenland to see the inland ice,” she says. “We are at the centre of this.”
A significant portion of the ice sheet is thought to be on the verge of a tipping point, where melting could soon become unavoidable even if emissions are cut. The ice sheet is hugely important to stabilizing the global climate, as it provides a vast white region that reflects sunlight back into space. But as the ice melts, the reflective surface shrinks, leading to more warming and melting and in turn, sea level rise. Scientists say sea level rises of one to two metres is probably already inevitable.
Frederiksen knows that the melting ice sheet will have negative impacts on communities across Greenland, especially in northern settlements such as Qaanaaq where permafrost melting is destabilizing homes and roads and impacting how fishers and hunters operate.
But her real concern lies on the impact it will have globally. “I am not so scared of what the effects of the melting of ice in Greenland will be,” Frederiksen says, “It scares me what effect it can have for the rest of the world.”
Latest News
Nordic National Committees
It is a pleasure to host the Nordic National Committees on campus for their Annual General Meeting this weekend. Their itinerary has included connecting with students, meeting for their AGM and with the Education Management [...]
Nordic Life: Helle Knives
Today Torodd Helle, CEO of Helle Fabrikke (Knife Factory) in Holmedal came and gave a presentation to the first years as part of their Nordic Life Skills course. He gave the students an introduction to [...]
UWC Changshu – Opening
An RCN delegation was invited to attend the opening of UWC Changshu, the first UWC in mainland China - an exciting development. It has been a long journey - starting with the founder (Mark Wang) [...]