Early Methane Mitigation Critical to Preserving Arctic Summer Sea Ice

Methane mitigation is a key component of limiting the extent of global warming. However, little is known about how methane mitigation can benefit other critical aspects of the climate system, such as tipping elements. This study explores how reducing methane emissions can avert an approaching and concerning climate event: the loss of Arctic summer sea ice. We show that early deployment of feasible methane mitigation measures is essential to delaying and potentially even avoiding the loss of Arctic summer sea ice. Whether or not the sea ice is preserved beyond this century will ultimately depend on the level of concomitant carbon dioxide mitigation, but it is clear that sea ice will be at risk in the absence of methane mitigation. This analysis provides further justification of the value of early methane mitigation and supports the need to consider climate benefits beyond temperature when evaluating mitigation pathways.