Summarised by Centrist
In 2024, Antarctica’s sea ice extent returned to near the 1981–2010 average, according to the US-based National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC).
In 2023, the BBC described the ice loss as “mind-blowing,” quoting Dr Walter Meier of the NSIDC. Mainstream media is now silent on the supposed “crisis” having fizzled out.
Chris Morrison, writing for The Daily Sceptic, argues that journalists and scientists alike hyped the short-term anomaly of natural variability around sea ice levels to fuel alarmism.
He cites historical data showing cyclical extremes, with sea ice highs and lows recorded since the 1960s.
According to Morrison, this is a “classic case study” of weaponised short-term data. He argues that it undermines the scientific process in favour of political narratives.
Even the NSIDC now stresses the need for long-term analysis, admitting recent timelines are too short to conclude a regime shift.
Morrison writes that such alarmism serves the “Net Zero” agenda. “The Net Zero obsession has turned natural climate cycles into tools for mass hysteria,” he writes.
The British Antarctic Survey called 2023’s low a “one in 2,000 year event,” blaming climate change, but this was based on speculative computer models. Observations show Antarctica has stayed largely stable, with minimal warming in 70 years and a summer temperature decline since 1977.
The recovery mirrors trends in the Great Barrier Reef, where coral growth has rebounded despite dire predictions.
