--- title: Climate Change: Arctic Region Declines Significantly in 2016 description: A series of records collapsed in the Arctic this year as the region faced unprecedented changes due to man-made global warming canonical: https://time.com/4600091/arctic-climate-change/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-14T01:33:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:56:35.553Z article:section: Science og:title: It's Hard to Describe Just How Badly the Arctic Is Doing og:description: "This year we have really seen the deepening of the change signal in the Arctic" og:url: https://time.com/4600091/arctic-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa61358bdf8372b7/6988b2e5656a3fac84bce289/climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 7304 og:image:height: 4109 og:image:alt: climate change arctic sea ice melt og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: It's Hard to Describe Just How Badly the Arctic Is Doing twitter:description: "This year we have really seen the deepening of the change signal in the Arctic" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa61358bdf8372b7/6988b2e5656a3fac84bce289/climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:27 video:published: 2016-11-15 section: climate topics: Trump presidency, climate change policy, Paris Agreement, Clean Power Plan, EPA regulation, greenhouse gas emissions, coal power decline, international cooperation, environmental litigation genre: news analysis, explainer tones: analytical, cautious, informative, hopeful emotions: concern (medium), hope (medium), skepticism (low) sentiment: neutral audience: policy followers, environmental advocates, general news readers, young climate activists people: Donald Trump, Obama organizations: TIME, United Nations, Environmental Protection Agency products: Paris Agreement, Clean Power Plan content_suitability: politics [00:00-02:27] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # It's Hard to Describe Just How Badly the Arctic Is Doing > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=7f361f8f-51b1-4733-b7e1-bac9650db3d4&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U3bhooK6.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2016-11-15. Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that environmentalism is not his priority. Now, Climate scientists, policymakers and diplomats are questioning how his presidency will shape the future of climate change policy._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video examines how a Trump presidency could affect climate change policy after his election as President-elect. It covers his stated opposition to the Paris Agreement and Obama's Clean Power Plan, and explains the legal limits on his ability to cancel or withdraw from them. It closes with environmentalists' cautious optimism based on market trends and other countries' commitments. ## Key points - Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax and has promised to cancel the Paris agreement or renegotiate it. (00:03) - The Paris Agreement was negotiated last year and came into effect just a few weeks before the video, with more than 190 countries involved. (00:13) - The president does not have the authority to cancel the Paris agreement, and withdrawing from it would take at least three years. (00:30) - Trump does have the power to ignore the Paris agreement, and US absence could discourage other countries from making big emissions reductions. (00:50) - Obama's Clean Power Plan is described as the single most important step America has ever taken against global climate change. (01:02) - Trump has said he would cancel the Clean Power Plan, and he could direct the EPA to eliminate it, though environmental groups would likely litigate. (01:12) - Eliminating the Clean Power Plan would be a long, winding process and is not something Trump could accomplish in his first 100 days. (01:38) - Market trends reducing coal power and other greenhouse gas emissions are largely outside the realm of regulation, giving some reason for optimism. (01:47) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:30] Trump's stance on climate and the Paris Agreement. Trump's criticism of climate change and his promises regarding the Paris agreement and UN funding are introduced. - [00:30 to 01:02] Limits on undoing the Paris Agreement. The speaker explains what Trump can and cannot legally do regarding the Paris agreement and why US leadership matters. - [01:02 to 01:45] Fate of Obama's Clean Power Plan. Trump's plans to cancel the Clean Power Plan are weighed against EPA authority and likely legal challenges. - [01:45 to 02:27] Reasons for long-term optimism. Environmentalists' optimism is discussed, citing market trends, other countries' commitments, and a young activist's perspective. ## Key quotes - [00:03] Donald Trump: "It'll get cooler, it'll get warmer. It's called weather." - [00:19] interviewer: "a monumental step for addressing climate change" - [01:02] Obama: "Single most important step America has ever taken in the fight against global Climate change." - [01:27] interviewer: "you can't destroy businesses" - [01:38] interviewer: "It's a long winding process. And certainly not something that he's going to be able to accomplish in his first 100 days." - [02:16] interviewer: "So there is reason for optimism if you're looking in the long- term." ## Questions this video answers - Can Trump immediately cancel the Paris Agreement? [00:30] - What is the Clean Power Plan and what is Trump's position on it? [01:02] - Could Trump eliminate the Clean Power Plan within his first 100 days? [01:38] - Will other countries continue climate action if the United States steps back? [01:55] - Why are environmentalists still optimistic about climate change progress? [01:45] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-02:27]: Discusses a US presidential transition and the president-elect's policy positions on climate.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 14, 2016 1:33 AM UTC "This year we have really seen the deepening of the change signal in the Arctic"  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 14, 2016 1:33 AM UTC A series of records collapsed in the Arctic this year as the region faced unprecedented changes due to man-made global warming, news with wide-ranging implications for the health of the planet, according to a new [report](http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card). The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that in 2016 the Arctic experienced the warmest land temperatures on record, the lowest snow cover on record and the lowest fall [sea-ice cover](http://time.com/4558782/arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change/) on record. “People have been talking about the Arctic for years now,” says study editor Jeremy Mathis, director of NOAA’s Arctic Research Program. But “this year we have really seen the deepening of the change signal in the Arctic. The Arctic has shown a clear, stronger and more pronounced signal of persistent warming.” **Read More:** [Here’s How Much Arctic Sea Ice You Melt Each Year](http://time.com/4558782/arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change/) Climate change has hit hard across the globe this year with 2016 widely expected to be the warmest year on record, but the report underscores that the Arctic is more vulnerable to the effects of warming than most other places. Arctic temperatures have increased at twice the rate of global temperatures in recent years and 2016 was no exception, according to the report. The average temperature in 2016 was 2°C (3.6°F) above the average between 1981 and 2010\. That’s a 3.5°C (6.3°F) increase since the beginning of the 20th century. At [some points](http://time.com/4261719/february-heat-records-climate-change/), temperatures were more than 8°C (14.4°F) higher than the average. Scientists have raised concerns that the warming in the Arctic might be a precursor to warming more broadly, which would shatter any hope of protecting earth from the worst effects of climate change. Last year’s [Paris Agreement](http://time.com/4146764/paris-agreement-climate-cop-21/) on climate change — agreed to by nearly every country — set a science-based target of keeping average global temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels by 2100. **Read More:** [Why Climate Negotiators Have Turned Their Attention to Your Air Conditioner](http://time.com/4421908/climate-change-hfcs-air-conditioning/?iid=sr-link1) The unusually high temperatures contributed to record low [sea-ice coverage](http://time.com/4496074/arctic-sea-ice-levels/) between mid-October and late November, a crucial period when the Arctic typically regains much of the ice that melted during the warm summer months. The coverage was 18% below the 1981 to 2010 average in November. A measure of snow coverage in the spring when the level is typically at its highest also reached a record low. Other effects of warm weather contribute to a feedback mechanism that worsens global warming. Warm temperatures have caused permafrost — ground that has remained frozen for years — to melt and release stored greenhouse gases. Those greenhouse gases then contribute to further warming. Scientists have struggled to identify the exact impacts of feedback mechanisms, a key reason why predicting future effects of climate change is particularly challenging. “The Arctic is a very complex system impacted by a number of different processes around the world,” says Mathis. “It’s going to be very hard to confidently predict changes.” Changes in the Arctic have implications far beyond the effects on global warming. Melting sea ice will allow new commercial opportunities but also presents national security concerns as countries dispute who has authority over the region. ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:03] Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax. It'll [00:05] get cooler, it'll get warmer. It's called weather. Now [00:07] that he's President- elect, here's what at stake for the [00:09] future of the environment. Thank you. Paris Agreement [00:13] which was negotiated last year and came into effect [00:16] just a few weeks ago was a monumental step for [00:19] addressing climate change. And setting a path forward [00:22] for the coming decades to reduce greenhouse gas [00:24] emissions. Donald Trump has promised to cancel the [00:27] Paris agreement, or at the very least, renegotiate it. [00:30] Stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN [00:35] Global Warming Programs. He does not have the [00:37] authority to cancel it. It's an agreement with more than [00:41] 190 countries. He also doesn't have the power to [00:44] withdraw from it. Immediately at least, it would take at [00:47] least three years to go through those processes. He [00:50] does have the power to ignore it. It's unlikely that other [00:54] countries will feel comfortable making big reductions in [00:56] their greenhouse gas emissions, if the United States is [00:59] not taking the lead. Another policy at stake is Obama's [01:02] clean power plan. [ APPLAUSE ] Single most [01:07] important step America has ever taken in the fight [01:10] against global Climate change. Trump has said that he [01:12] would cancel it. Environmental Protection, what they do [01:16] is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new [01:18] regulations. He has the authority to do that. He could [01:20] direct the EPA to eliminate the clean power plan. We'll [01:24] be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, [01:27] but you can't destroy businesses He will definitely if he [01:30] does face litigation from environmental groups that will [01:34] argue that it's the EPA's role to do that. It's a long [01:38] winding process. And certainly not something that he's [01:40] going to be able to accomplish in his first 100 days. [01:45] Environmentalists are trying to remain Optimistic and [01:47] looking at a lot of the market trends that have resulted [01:50] in the reduction in coal power and other greenhouse [01:55] gas emissions. A lot of it is outside of the realm of [01:57] regulation. But also trying to stay optimistic about the [02:01] Paris agreement. Some of them say even if Donald [02:04] Trump Withdraws, they are confident that other [02:06] countries will step up to the plate. I'm 16 years old [02:09] from Mwanza, Tanzania. Looking forward, there's a lot [02:11] of things that Trump can do to slow progress on [02:14] climate change, but many of the trends he doesn't [02:16] have control over. So there is reason for optimism if [02:20] you're looking in the long- term. 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