Big thaw.

last updated 8 January 2015

Oslo

Melting glaciers and receding snow cover could cause catastrophic floods and water shortages by the end of this century, a new U.N. report says. “The Global Outlook for Snow and Ice,” written by 70 international scientists and released this week in Oslo, said the lack of ice cover could accelerate global warming, because ice cools the planet by reflecting heat into space. As sea levels rise, coastal areas will flood, and people who get their fresh water from spring thaws—including 1.5 billion Asians—will suffer water shortages. The rate at which the Greenland ice sheet is melting has doubled in just the past three years. Hunters in Greenland have replaced dog teams with motorboats, due to the lack of solid ice.