Hundreds of polar researchers have issued an emergency statement calling for urgent action to deal with the impacts of climate change in Antarctica.

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean have been undergoing rapid and extreme changes in recent years, including unprecedented heatwaves and record-low sea ice levels.

Over the past week, more than 450 researchers gathered in Hobart for the inaugural Australian Antarctic Research Conference — the first such event in more than a decade.

Almost two thirds of attendees were early career researchers, who have released a joint statement titled, Making Antarctica Cool Again.

The statement warns of the potential dire consequences of global sea level rise caused by melting ice sheets.

A statement from early-career researchers at the Australian Antarctic Research Conference

AAP: Nowhere on Earth is there a greater cause of uncertainty in sea-level rise projections than from East Antarctica, in Australia’s backyard. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone holds enough water to raise global sea levels by approximately 50 metres if completely melted. Implications for our coastal cities and infrastructure are immense. It is in the best interest of Australia and the world that our researchers understand how much and how fast the ice sheet will continue changing. Predicting how much this region will contribute to sea-level rise is critical to the welfare of the global community.

The services of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica — oceanic carbon sink and planetary air-conditioner — have been taken for granted. Global warming-induced shifts observed in the region are immense. Recent research has shown record-low sea ice, extreme heatwaves exceeding 40°C above average temperatures, and increased instability around key ice shelves. Shifting ecosystems on land and at sea underscore this sensitive region’s rapid and unprecedented transformations. Runaway ice loss causing rapid and catastrophic sea-level rise is possible within our lifetimes. Whether such irreversible tipping points have already passed is unknown.

Our societies must set and meet targets to ‘bend the carbon curve’ as quickly as possible. Failure to rapidly reduce emissions — every year and every tonne — commits actual and future generations to greater sea-level rise. Our new generation of researchers is committed to resolving these crises and sees an opportunity for us all to engage in forward-looking societal projects. Every fraction of a degree matters.”