World News

Climate change: Greenland’s culture shifts as Arctic heats up

As temperatures rise and sea-ice melts, lifestyles are changing as fast as the climate in Greenland.

By Adrienne Murray

BBC News, Ilulissat

Icebergs bigger than city blocks loom through the mist as Kaleeraq Mathaeussen reels in halibut from the frigid waters one by one.

“Each season is not how it used to be,” he says. It’s become windier and more unpredictable.

More than 250km (155 miles) inside the Arctic Circle, the coastal town of Ilulissat in western Greenland is also a busy port.

Kaleeraq has been fishing the waters here since he was 14 years old and, like other locals, has observed changes around him.

In winter he used to travel on the ice with a sled pulled by his dogs. But the sea no longer freezes like it used to.

“Ever since 2001 I noticed the winter seasons in Disko Bay didn’t have as much ice,” he says.

“I was very worried when I started to notice that the ice barrier was getting weaker and witnessing such an astronomical change in the climate,” he explains.

“Today it is unpredictable and too dangerous to go fishing with my sled dogs,” he explains. He stopped sledding two years ago and now he only fishes by boat.

Communities in northern Greenland have lived in one of the world’s toughest environments for centuries.

But temperatures have risen faster in the Arctic region than elsewhere on earth, and the impact of climate change is being felt on the local way of life.

On the outskirts of Ilulissat, colourful apartment blocks overlook a field that’s home to dozens and dozens of dogs.

Kaleeraq still owns more than 30. Before he used his dogs for tourism, but now only keeps them for his teenage son. “I still miss that way of life, but it just has to be like this for now,” he says.

Dog-sledding has been a long-held tradition in the north and east of Greenland. But many local hunters and fishermen have given it up and the number of sled dogs has slumped nationwide.

Around two decades ago there were around 5,000 dogs in Ilulissat alone, but now there are only about 1,800, says Flemming Lauritzen, who runs a dog-sledding tour business with his wife Ane Sofie.

When she was growing up sled dogs were always around, she says. “I’m not happy to see [the dogs] disappearing from our culture.”

Diseases and snowmobiles are partly responsible. Also climate change has had an impact. “The season is getting shorter and shorter. We can feel that,” says Flemming.

Over the years they’ve also witnessed the nearby glaciers retreat.

“All of this ice is missing now,” Flemming says as he points to a map of the Sermeq Kujalleg or Jakobshavn glacier.

It’s one of the few outlets where Greenland’s ice sheet meets the sea. Over 35,000 cubic metres of ice calve from the glacier each year, and more icebergs spew into Disko Bay than anywhere else in the northern hemisphere.

Tour boat skipper George Jonathansen skilfully weaves around these giants. Even young people like him have seen change within their lifetimes.

“When I was a kid, the weather was more predictable. Nowadays… we never know how the winter is going to be,” he says.

“I think this year has been unusual compared to the others.” This summer was cold, he says, “A lot of places in Greenland have record rain.”

When asked about climate change, Palle Jerimiassen, the local mayor of Avannaata district says: “We can feel it everyday. We can see it every day.”

Further north, near Thule, retreating sea ice is impacting local hunters, he tells the BBC. “They are used to going on some very long hunting tours. They can’t do it anymore. So they have to change their way of living.”

“There’s some negative things. There are also some positive things,” he states.

In some ways Arctic life has become easier. Milder winters have brought new opportunities and Ilulissat is booming.

Nutrients from glacial meltwater are enriching marine life and it’s now possible to fish year-round by boat. Halibut also fetch a higher price, and fishermen like Kaleeraq are now better off.

“The dog-sled fishermen has declined. But the fishing from vessels has gone up,” says Erik Sivertsen, CEO of Halibut Greenland. “Climate change has made the opportunity for our local fishermen to have a greater turnover.”

It’s still a worry, he emphasises. “Of course it’s very concerning.”

“Now it [the glacier] has receded so much that icebergs are not that big. You might think they are big, but they not as big as when we grew up,” he says.

New shipping routes are expected to open up further north. Mining exploration firms have also been drawn to Greenland, anticipating that mineral deposits will become more accessible.

Meanwhile glacial melting is leading to large deposits of sand along the coast, and a recent survey found that three-quarters of residents support extracting and exporting it.

Research by the Universities of Copenhagen and Greenland carried out before the pandemic found that 90% of Greenlanders think that climate change is happening. Three-quarters felt they had personally experienced its effects, and a large majority said it was an important issue to them personally.

While these observations are mostly anecdotal, scientists have given stark warnings about the impact of global warming on Greenland’s ice sheet.

Currently its meltwater adds 1.5mm to global sea level annually. Recently, a group of scientists predicted that even if action is taken to curb emissions, a rise of at least 27cm is inevitable. If the ice sheet thawed entirely this would be more than 7m (23ft).

“In the late 90s it was in balance,” explains Alun Hubbard, a glaciologist at Arctic University of Norway. “At the moment it’s a system that’s in deficit. The amount of snow falling can’t keep up with the melt and iceberg calving.”

“What I’ve come to understand in the last 10 years having observed what’s going on here,” the scientist adds, “is that there are really, really abrupt changes going on.”

In a coffee shop in the capital Nuuk, 21-year-old Iluuna Soerensen, a student and activist says, “When you’re from Greenland, you’re so closely linked to nature that all the changes, you see them quite clearly.”

Skills and knowledge have been handed down from elders, she explains. “If that knowledge is not correct anymore because nature is changing, it’s quite concerning.”

“People do get scared that their future is changing so much,” she adds. “But also the present.”

All photos copyright BBC.

As temperatures rise and sea-ice melts, lifestyles are changing as fast as the climate in Greenland.

World News

Ukraine war: Kyiv secures a bridgehead across the key Dnipro River, reports

But military experts warn that advancing from positions across the Dnipro could be very difficult.

Ukrainian troops have set up positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River in southern Kherson region, reports say.The region is partially Russian-held and crossing the river could be significant in future offensives.The US-based Institute for the Study of War says Russian military bloggers have posted “enough geolocated footage and text reports to confirm” the advance.BBC Ukraine says its military sources have reported a “certain movement across [the] Dnipro” near Kherson city.

Ukraine’s military has not confirmed the movement, while Russia has denied the reports.But if the reports that Ukraine has secured a bridgehead on the east bank are correct, it could be significant in helping Kyiv drive Russian troops back.A Ukrainian advance in the area could, in the future, even cut the land corridor to Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.However, military experts say any Ukrainian troop movements in the bridgehead area – which is crisscrossed by floodplains, irrigation canals and other water obstacles – would be a tough task.And Ukrainian advances would be further complicated by Russia’s significant advantage in the air.

Ukraine’s military has for some time publicly spoken about preparations for a major counter-offensive, without specifying where and when it could be launched.Until now, all of the Kherson region on the east bank of the Dnipro has been under Russian control, with the wide river serving as a natural barrier.The regional capital – sitting on the west bank – was liberated by Ukrainian forces last November.Celebrations as Ukraine takes back key city KhersonPutin visits occupied Kherson region in UkraineIn Sunday’s report, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said “geolocated footage published on 23 April indicates that Ukrainian forces are operating in areas north-west of Oleshky on the east” bank of Dnipro.

The ISW added there was not enough information to analyse the scale of the reported Ukrainian advance – or the further intentions of the Ukrainian military.On Monday, Russia’s WarGonzo military blogger reported that Ukrainian troops were “trying to gain a foothold on Bolshoi Potemkin [Velykyi Potyomkin – Ukrainian] island”, which is located between the new and old channels of the Dnipro.

World News

India’s population will surpass China this week, according to UN

Last week, a different UN body said the milestone would be passed later in 2023.

India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation by the end this week. A different UN body predicted last week that India would surpass China by the middle this year. The Asian nations have accounted more than a quarter of the global population since over 70 years. The UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs said in a press release that “China will soon relinquish its long-held position as the world’s largest country”.

The UN Population Fund said last week that India would have 2.9 million more people than China by the middle of 2023. China’s birthrate has dropped recently, and its population shrank last year for first time since 1961. India’s population will continue to grow for several decades, it said. However, fertility rates in India are also dropping – from 5.7 babies per woman in 1950, to 2.2 today. In November, the world population reached 8 billion. Experts say that the growth rate is slower than it used to be, and is now at its lowest level since 1950.

World News

Scientists are concerned about recent rapid ocean warming.

There’s growing concern that the oceans are heating up quickly – and scientists are unsure of the implications.

It has never warmed up this much, so quickly. Scientists don’t fully understand why. But they worry that, combined with other weather events, the world’s temperature could reach a worrying new level by the end of next year. Scientists do not fully understand why it has happened. But they are concerned that combined with other weather conditions, the temperature of the planet could reach a new alarming level by the end next year. They are less efficient in absorbing planet-warming gases.

In the last 15 years, Earth’s heat has increased by 50 percent, with the majority of that extra heat going into the oceans. This has real world implications – not only was the temperature of the oceans a record in April, but in some areas the difference over the long term is enormous. Image source: Getty ImagesIn march, sea surface temperatures along the east coast of North America reached 13.8C above the 1981-2011 average. Karina Von Schuckmann, lead author of the study and oceanographer with the research group Mercator Ocean International, said: “It is not yet clear why such a rapid and huge change is occurring.”

“We have doubled heat in the climate system over the last 15 years. I don’t think this is climate variability, but it could be. We do see the change. “An interesting factor that could influence the level of heat entering the oceans is a reduction in shipping pollution. In 2020, the International Maritime Organisation implemented a regulation to lower the sulphur in fuel burned by ships. This has had an immediate impact on reducing the amount aerosol particles released in the atmosphere. Aerosols that pollute the air also reflect heat back into the space, so removing them could have caused more heat to reach the oceans.

The average surface temperature of the oceans has risen by 0.9C since pre-industrial times, with 0.6C of that increase occurring in the last 40. This is less than the rise in air temperatures on land which have increased by 1.5C. Oceans absorb heat much deeper than land and require more energy to heat. This has real-world implications. It is especially damaging to coral reefs. Extreme weather will increase as heat from the upper ocean surface increases hurricanes and cyclones. This means they become more intense and longer-lasting.Sea-level rise: warmer waters take up more space – known as thermal expansion – and can greatly accelerate the melting of glaciers from Greenland and Antarctica that flow into the oceans.

This increases global sea levels and increases the risk of coastal flooding. Warmer water has a lower ability to absorb CO2. The oceans will absorb less CO2 if they continue to warm. This will lead to more CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere, further warming the air. “The Australian Bureau model strongly suggests a strong El Nino.” Hugh McDowell, from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, said that the trend has been in that direction and that all climate models have been trending towards a stronger event. Mr McDowell warned that predictions are less reliable at this time of the year.

Other researchers are more optimistic. Experts believe that a fully-formed event will follow. “If we have a new El Nino on top of that, it will probably cause an additional global warming of 0.2-0.25C,” Dr Josef Ludescher from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research said. “The impact of El Nino is reduced a few months following the peak. This is why 2024 is likely to be the warmest year on record. “Image source, Anadolu Agency.” And we may, we’ll be close to 1.5C and perhaps we’ll temporarily go over. El Nino is likely to disrupt weather patterns in Australia and around the world. It will also weaken the monsoon. There are also more fundamental concerns that as heat is absorbed by the oceans, they may be less able store excess energy.

One scientist described being “extremely stressed and worried”. Karina von Schuckmann says that some research has shown the world warming in jumps. Little changes over years are followed by sudden leaps upwards. After El Nino subsides, temperatures may drop again. She told BBC News that “we still have a window of opportunity to act and we should take advantage of this to reduce the effects.” Graphics by Erwan RIVALL.

World News

Wagner in Sudan: what have Russian mercenaries done?

The Wagner group denies involvement in the current conflict, but there’s evidence it has previously been active in Sudan.

Russian Wagner mercenary forces are accused of having commercial and military ties with Sudan. However, the group denies involvement in the current conflict. Yevgeny Praighozin, who has close ties to President Vladimir Putin, has stated that “not one Wagner PMC [private company] fighter has ever been present in Sudan”. We have found no evidence of Russian mercenaries currently inside the country. There is evidence of Wagner’s previous activities in Sudan. Mr Prighozin’s operations in the nation have been targeted by US and EU sanctions. Gold-mining DealsIn 2017, Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, during a trip to Moscow, signed a number of deals.

These included an agreement to establish a Russian naval base at Port Sudan along the Red Sea as well as “concessions on gold mining” between Russian company M Invest, and the Sudanese Ministry of Minerals. The According to a CNN investigation, gold was transported overland into Central African Republic where Wagner operates – exports that were not recorded in Sudanese trade data.

The BBC has not independently confirmed these images. In 2021, a Wagner linked Telegram channel published photos of an unnamed top Wagner leader awarding Sudanese soldier memorabilia during a ceremony that took place two years earlier. TelegramAnd, in July 2022 this channel distributed a clip allegedly showing Wagner’s mercenaries performing par The same source linked the Instagram profile of a Russian mercenary who called himself a “freelancer”. He shared stories of his exploits on Sudan in posts dating from August and Oct 2021. How influential is Wagner? The US Treasury claims that the Wagner Group has been involved in “paramilitary activities, support for maintaining authoritarian regimes and exploitation natural resources”. The relationship between the Royal United Services Institute and the UK-based Royal United Services Institute has grown since then.

“In 2018, they had around 100 men actively training Sudanese forces,” says Dr Joana De Deus Pereira from the UK. Sudanese media reported that the number grew to 500 and that they were mainly based in the south-west, near Um Dafuq and close to Sudan’s borders with the Central African Republic. According to Dr Samuel Ramani who wrote a book on Russia’s activities throughout Africa, the Wagner Group created its own media campaigns in order to keep President Bashir in power. Image source: AFP. This caused friction with the president’s security forces and Wagner switched its support to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who overthrew him.

Dr Ramani says that while the Foreign Ministry in Moscow opposed the coup, Prigozhin, and the Wagner Group, welcomed al-Burhan’s takeover. According to Dr Ramani it was between 2021 and 2022 when the Wagner Group increased their connections with the Rapid Support Forces, which is currently fighting Sudan’s regular army led by Gen Burhan. Mr Pri “Wagner had links with both General al-Burhan and Mr Hemedti in different degrees and ways,” she says. Wagner’s presence in AfricaWagner fighters are widely reported to be in the Central African Republic for several years, guarding diamond mines in the country, as well in Libya and Mali.

World News

Sudan fighting: Foreign nationals and diplomats evacuated

Several countries are helping their citizens leave the capital, Khartoum, following a week of fighting.

Several other countries have also started organising evacuations, starting on Sunday. France, Germany Italy and Spain have also started organising evacuations. A vicious power struggle has caused violence throughout the country. The UK government was able to airlift British diplomatic staff and their families out in a “complex” and “rapid” operation. Foreign Minister James Cleverly stated that options to evacuate remaining British nationals were “severely restricted”.

The German army reported that the first of three flights had left Sudan bound for Jordan with 101 people aboard. Italy and Spain evacuated citizens – the Spanish mission included citizens of Argentina, Colombia, Ireland Portugal, Poland Mexico, Venezuela, and Sudan. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his government had evacuated diplomatic staff. More than 150 people were evacuated to the Saudi Arabian port Jeddah by sea, including citizens from Egypt, Pakistan, and Gulf countries. Many foreign students from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have also been trapped in Khartoum. They have made desperate calls for assistance.

The US announced on Sunday that a disaster response team will be sent to the region to “coordinate humanitarian response to those in need, both within and outside Sudan.” “Samantha Power, from the US Agency for International Development(USAID), said that the team would initially work out of Kenya and give priority to getting “life-saving humanitarian assistance to those in need.” The World Health Organization reports that the fighting has injured thousands and killed more than 400.

The death toll may be higher than 400, because people are unable to access healthcare due to the closure of most hospitals in the city. The fighting has also affected the western region of Darfur where the RSF was first formed. The UN has warned that 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Sudan in search of safety in Chad across the border.