Data from the Danish Meteorological Institute shows that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark and the world's largest island, experienced its hottest January on record this year.
Reuters reported on January 4th that, according to temperature monitoring in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, by the Danish Meteorological Institute, the average temperature in Nuuk was 0.2 degrees Celsius, the highest on record. The average January temperature between 1991 and 2020 was -7.7 degrees Celsius.
Jacob Hoyer, head of the National Climate Research Centre at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said, "Climate change is already evident in Greenland… Data shows that temperatures here are rising at four times the global average."
Hoyer said that global warming means a reduction in the extent of sea ice cover and a thinning of the ice sheet in Greenland during winter. This not only affects traditional transportation that relies on the ice but also alters the local ecosystem, threatening fisheries. Statistics from Greenland show that fisheries account for 23% of Greenland's GDP in 2023 and create 15% of jobs. However, Hoyer stated that it is too early to accurately assess the extent of the impact.
