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A new study by researchers at Leeds University found that ice sheets in Antarctica are thinning five times as quickly as in the 1990s. (Photo: Natalie Tapson/flickr/cc)
Thinning Five Times Faster Than Just Two Decades Ago, Study Shows Antarctic Ice Melting at Terrifying Rate
"The speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people's lifetimes."
May 16, 2019
New research released Thursday revealed that ice sheets in Antarctica are thinning even more rapidly than scientists previously believed, with ice melting at five times the rate it did in the 1990s.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the "Make Earth Unlivable" achievement in their species career. Big come down from the moon landing." --Murtaza Mohammad Hussain, journalist
Some areas, researchers at Leeds University in the U.K. reported, are now about 328 feet (100 meters) thinner than they were less than three decades ago--putting the planet in danger of a major sea level rise which could wipe out coastal cities.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, also detailed how scientists are accustomed to observing such changes in glaciers over geological time periods--not portions of people's lifetimes.
"From a standing start in the 1990s, thinning has spread inland progressively over the past 25 years--that is rapid in glaciological terms," lead author Andy Shepherd told The Guardian. "The speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people's lifetimes."
The phenomenon was described by one observer as "the shallowing of deep time" on social media.
\u201c\u201cThe speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people\u2019s lifetimes\u201d: new research published today on the thinning of Antarctic ice \u2013\u2013 and the shallowing of deep time. https://t.co/VlFTra2rRb\u201d— Robert Macfarlane (@Robert Macfarlane) 1558003891
Much of the ice loss is taking place in the West Antarctic ice sheet, a quarter of which is now considered "unstable" by scientists. The loss of the entire ice sheet would mean a global sea level rise of about 16 feet--wiping out coastal cities around the world.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the 'Make Earth Unlivable' achievement in their species career," wrote Intercept journalist Murtaza Mohammad Hussain in response to the research.
The study was completed by comparing weather data and hundreds of millions of satellite measurements taken between 1992 and 2017.
In Europe, ahead of Parliament elections in which voters across the continent will go to the polls later this month, members of the European Green Party pointed to the study as the latest evidence that voters should support candidates with concrete plans to combat the climate crisis by sharply reducing global reliance on fossil fuels and shifting toward renewable energy sources.
"We need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological and climate emergency," tweeted Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party in Britain.
\u201cWe need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological & climate emergency.\n\nElecting more Greens into the European Parliament is one of the best ways we can mitigate against these terrifying effects of a climate crisis.\n\n#VoteGreen2019\n\nhttps://t.co/98JhXbxlYF\u201d— Amelia Womack (@Amelia Womack) 1558002791
\u201cA reminder of what's at stake in these #EUElections2019- real #ClimateActionNow is what I, @saoirse_mchugh and @CiaranCuffe are campaigning for. It's not too late, yet #VoteGreenGetGreen\nhttps://t.co/7IQrKc42vh\u201d— Grace O'Sullivan MEP (@Grace O'Sullivan MEP) 1558028292
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New research released Thursday revealed that ice sheets in Antarctica are thinning even more rapidly than scientists previously believed, with ice melting at five times the rate it did in the 1990s.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the "Make Earth Unlivable" achievement in their species career. Big come down from the moon landing." --Murtaza Mohammad Hussain, journalist
Some areas, researchers at Leeds University in the U.K. reported, are now about 328 feet (100 meters) thinner than they were less than three decades ago--putting the planet in danger of a major sea level rise which could wipe out coastal cities.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, also detailed how scientists are accustomed to observing such changes in glaciers over geological time periods--not portions of people's lifetimes.
"From a standing start in the 1990s, thinning has spread inland progressively over the past 25 years--that is rapid in glaciological terms," lead author Andy Shepherd told The Guardian. "The speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people's lifetimes."
The phenomenon was described by one observer as "the shallowing of deep time" on social media.
\u201c\u201cThe speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people\u2019s lifetimes\u201d: new research published today on the thinning of Antarctic ice \u2013\u2013 and the shallowing of deep time. https://t.co/VlFTra2rRb\u201d— Robert Macfarlane (@Robert Macfarlane) 1558003891
Much of the ice loss is taking place in the West Antarctic ice sheet, a quarter of which is now considered "unstable" by scientists. The loss of the entire ice sheet would mean a global sea level rise of about 16 feet--wiping out coastal cities around the world.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the 'Make Earth Unlivable' achievement in their species career," wrote Intercept journalist Murtaza Mohammad Hussain in response to the research.
The study was completed by comparing weather data and hundreds of millions of satellite measurements taken between 1992 and 2017.
In Europe, ahead of Parliament elections in which voters across the continent will go to the polls later this month, members of the European Green Party pointed to the study as the latest evidence that voters should support candidates with concrete plans to combat the climate crisis by sharply reducing global reliance on fossil fuels and shifting toward renewable energy sources.
"We need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological and climate emergency," tweeted Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party in Britain.
\u201cWe need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological & climate emergency.\n\nElecting more Greens into the European Parliament is one of the best ways we can mitigate against these terrifying effects of a climate crisis.\n\n#VoteGreen2019\n\nhttps://t.co/98JhXbxlYF\u201d— Amelia Womack (@Amelia Womack) 1558002791
\u201cA reminder of what's at stake in these #EUElections2019- real #ClimateActionNow is what I, @saoirse_mchugh and @CiaranCuffe are campaigning for. It's not too late, yet #VoteGreenGetGreen\nhttps://t.co/7IQrKc42vh\u201d— Grace O'Sullivan MEP (@Grace O'Sullivan MEP) 1558028292
New research released Thursday revealed that ice sheets in Antarctica are thinning even more rapidly than scientists previously believed, with ice melting at five times the rate it did in the 1990s.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the "Make Earth Unlivable" achievement in their species career. Big come down from the moon landing." --Murtaza Mohammad Hussain, journalist
Some areas, researchers at Leeds University in the U.K. reported, are now about 328 feet (100 meters) thinner than they were less than three decades ago--putting the planet in danger of a major sea level rise which could wipe out coastal cities.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, also detailed how scientists are accustomed to observing such changes in glaciers over geological time periods--not portions of people's lifetimes.
"From a standing start in the 1990s, thinning has spread inland progressively over the past 25 years--that is rapid in glaciological terms," lead author Andy Shepherd told The Guardian. "The speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people's lifetimes."
The phenomenon was described by one observer as "the shallowing of deep time" on social media.
\u201c\u201cThe speed of drawing down ice from an ice sheet used to be spoken of in geological timescales, but that has now been replaced by people\u2019s lifetimes\u201d: new research published today on the thinning of Antarctic ice \u2013\u2013 and the shallowing of deep time. https://t.co/VlFTra2rRb\u201d— Robert Macfarlane (@Robert Macfarlane) 1558003891
Much of the ice loss is taking place in the West Antarctic ice sheet, a quarter of which is now considered "unstable" by scientists. The loss of the entire ice sheet would mean a global sea level rise of about 16 feet--wiping out coastal cities around the world.
"Seems like humans are genuinely getting close to unlocking the 'Make Earth Unlivable' achievement in their species career," wrote Intercept journalist Murtaza Mohammad Hussain in response to the research.
The study was completed by comparing weather data and hundreds of millions of satellite measurements taken between 1992 and 2017.
In Europe, ahead of Parliament elections in which voters across the continent will go to the polls later this month, members of the European Green Party pointed to the study as the latest evidence that voters should support candidates with concrete plans to combat the climate crisis by sharply reducing global reliance on fossil fuels and shifting toward renewable energy sources.
"We need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological and climate emergency," tweeted Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party in Britain.
\u201cWe need urgent international policy to immediately address the ecological & climate emergency.\n\nElecting more Greens into the European Parliament is one of the best ways we can mitigate against these terrifying effects of a climate crisis.\n\n#VoteGreen2019\n\nhttps://t.co/98JhXbxlYF\u201d— Amelia Womack (@Amelia Womack) 1558002791
\u201cA reminder of what's at stake in these #EUElections2019- real #ClimateActionNow is what I, @saoirse_mchugh and @CiaranCuffe are campaigning for. It's not too late, yet #VoteGreenGetGreen\nhttps://t.co/7IQrKc42vh\u201d— Grace O'Sullivan MEP (@Grace O'Sullivan MEP) 1558028292
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LATEST NEWS
'We Are Being Cooked Alive': Wildfires Driven by Climate Crisis Ravage Europe
Fire-related deaths were reported in Turkey, Spain, Montenegro, and Albania.
Aug 13, 2025
With firefighters in southern Europe battling blazes that have killed people in multiple countries and forced thousands to evacuate, Spain's environment minister on Wednesday called the wildfires a "clear warning" of the climate emergency driven by the fossil fuel industry.
While authorities have cited a variety of causes for current fires across the continent, from arson to "careless farming practices, improperly maintained power cables, and summer lightning storms," scientists have long stressed that wildfires are getting worse as humanity heats the planet with fossil fuels.
The Spanish minister, Sara Aagesen, told the radio network Cadena SER that "the fires are one of the parts of the impact of that climate change, which is why we have to do all we can when it comes to prevention."
"Our country is especially vulnerable to climate change. We have resources now but, given that the scientific evidence and the general expectation point to it having an ever greater impact, we need to work to reinforce and professionalize those resources," Aagesen added in remarks translated by The Guardian.
The Spanish meteorological agency, AEMET, said on social media Wednesday that "the danger of wildfires continues at very high or extreme levels in most of Spain, despite the likelihood of showers in many areas," and urged residents to "take extreme precautions!"
The heatwave impacting Spain "peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45°C (113°F)," according to Reuters. AEMET warned that "starting Thursday, the heat will intensify again," and is likely to continue through Monday.
The heatwave is also a sign of climate change, Akshay Deoras, a research scientist in the Meteorology Department at the U.K.'s University of Reading, told Agence France-Presse this week.
"Thanks to climate change, we now live in a significantly warmer world," Deoras said, adding that "many still underestimate the danger."
There have been at least two fire-related deaths in Spain this week: a man working at a horse stable on the outskirts of the Spanish capital Madrid, and a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter trying to make firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the Castile and León region.
Acknowledging the firefighter's death on social media Tuesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent his "deepest condolences to their family, friends, and colleagues," and wished "much strength and a speedy recovery to the people injured in that same fire."
According to The New York Times, deaths tied to the fires were also reported in Turkey, Montenegro, and Albania. Additionally, The Guardian noted, "a 4-year-old boy who was found unconscious in his family's car in Sardinia died in Rome on Monday after suffering irreversible brain damage caused by heatstroke."
There are also fires in Greece, France, and Portugal, where the mayor of Vila Real, Alexandre Favaios, declared that "we are being cooked alive, this cannot continue."
Reuters on Wednesday highlighted Greenpeace estimates that investing €1 billion, or $1.17 billion, annually in forest management could save 9.9 million hectares or 24.5 million acres—an area bigger than Portugal—and tens of billions of euros spent on firefighting and restoration work.
The European fires are raging roughly three months out from the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, which is scheduled to begin on November 10 in Belém, Brazil.
Head of Largest US Teachers Union Warns Trump Budget Law Will Worsen Child Hunger Crisis
"These are not abstract numbers," wrote National Education Association president Becky Pringle. "These are real children who show up to school eager to learn but are instead distracted by hunger."
Aug 13, 2025
The leader of the largest teachers union in the United States is sounding the alarm over the impact that President Donald Trump's newly enacted budget law will have on young students, specifically warning that massive cuts to federal nutrition assistance will intensify the nation's child hunger crisis.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association (NEA)—which represents millions of educators across the U.S.—wrote for Time magazine earlier this week that "as families across America prepare for the new school year, millions of children face the threat of returning to classrooms without access to school meals" under the budget measure that Trump signed into law last month after it cleared the Republican-controlled Congress.
Estimates indicate that more than 18 million children nationwide could lose access to free school meals due to the law's unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, which are used to determine eligibility for free meals in most U.S. states.
The Trump-GOP budget law imposes more strict work-reporting requirements on SNAP recipients and expands the mandates to adults between the ages of 55 and 64 and parents with children aged 14 and older. The Congressional Budget Office said earlier this week that the more aggressive work requirements would kick millions of adults off SNAP over the next decade—with cascading effects for children and other family members who rely on the program.
"Educators see this pain every day, and that's why they go above and beyond—buying classroom snacks with their own money—to support their students."
Pringle wrote in her Time op-ed that "our children can't learn if they are hungry," adding that as a middle school science teacher she has seen first-hand "the pain that hunger creates."
"Educators see this pain every day, and that's why they go above and beyond—buying classroom snacks with their own money—to support their students," she wrote.
The NEA president warned that cuts from the Trump-GOP law "will hit hardest in places where families are already struggling the most, especially in rural and Southern states where school nutrition programs are a lifeline to many."
"In Texas, 3.4 million kids, nearly two-thirds of students, are eligible for free and reduced lunch," Pringle wrote. "In Mississippi, 439,000 kids, 99.7% of the student population, were eligible for free and reduced-cost lunch during the 2022-23 school year."
"These are not abstract numbers," she added. "These are real children who show up to school eager to learn but are instead distracted by hunger and uncertainty about when they will eat again. America's kids deserve better.
Pringle's op-ed came as school leaders, advocates, and lawmakers across the country braced for the impacts of Trump's budget law.
"We're going to see cuts to programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, resulting in domino effects for the children we serve," Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) said during a recent gathering of lawmakers and experts. "For many of our communities, these policies mean life or death."
Trump's Military Occupation of DC Egged On by Corporate Lobbyists: Report
In some cases, corporate groups have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.
Aug 13, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump's military occupation of Washington, D.C. has been egged on for months by corporate lobbyists. In some cases, they have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.
According to a report Tuesday in The Lever:
Last February, the American Investment Council, private equity's $24 million lobbying shop, penned a letter to D.C. city leaders demanding "immediate action" to address an "alarming increase" in crime.
That letter was published as an exclusive by Axios with the headline: "Downtown D.C. Business Leaders Demand Crime Solutions."
But far from a group of beleaguered mom-and-pops, the letter's signatories "included some of the biggest trade groups on K Street," The Lever observed:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts its status as the largest business organization in the world; the National Retail Federation, a powerful retail alliance representing giants like Walmart and Target; and Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. airlines, among others. These lobbying juggernauts spend tens of millions of dollars every year lobbying federal lawmakers to get their way in Washington."
It was one of many efforts by right-wing groups to agitate for a more fearsome police crackdown in the city and oppose criminal justice reforms.
On multiple occasions, business groups and police unions have helped to thwart efforts by the D.C. city council to rewrite the city's criminal code, which has not been updated in over a century, to eliminate many mandatory minimum sentences and reduce sentences for some nonviolent offenses.
The reforms were vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023. After the veto was overridden by the city council, Democrats helped Republicans pass a law squashing the reforms, which was signed by then-President Joe Biden.
In 2024, groups like the Chamber of Commerce pushed the "Secure D.C." bill in the city council, which expanded pre-trial detention, weakened restrictions on chokeholds, and limited public access to police disciplinary records.
At the time, business groups lauded these changes as necessary to fight the post-pandemic crime spike D.C. was experiencing.
But crime rates in D.C. have fallen precipitously, to a 30-year low over the course of 2024. As a press release from the U.S. attorney's office released on January 3, 2025 stated: "homicides are down 32%; robberies are down 39%; armed carjackings are down 53%; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27% when compared with 2023 levels."
Nevertheless, as Trump sends federal troops into D.C., many in the corporate world are still cheering.
In a statement Monday, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce described itself as a "strong supporter" of the Home Rule Act, which Trump used to enact his federal crackdown.
The Washington Business Journal quoted multiple consultancy executives—including Yaman Coskum, who exclaimed that "It is about time somebody did something to make D.C. great again," and Kirk McLaren who said, "If local leaders won't protect residents and businesses, let's see if the federal government will step in and do what's necessary to create a safe and prosperous city."
Despite crime also being on the decline in every other city he has singled out—Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, New York, and Chicago—Trump has said his deployment of federal troops "will go further."
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