Sky News Daily Is Antarctica a time bomb for Trump?
Jan 15, 2026
Science editor Tom Clarke shares insights from his recent expedition to Antarctica, where he documented alarming ice melt and observed mild summer conditions. He emphasizes the continent's critical role in global sea level rise and contrasts its vast, thick land ice with the Arctic's sea ice. Clarke discusses the geopolitical landscape as the U.S. withdraws, allowing Russia and China to expand their influence. He warns that glaciers like the Thwaites could trigger catastrophic sea level changes, highlighting the need for urgent scientific attention to this frozen frontier.
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A Summer Visit Felt 'Warmer'
- Tom Clarke visited with the British Antarctic Survey during the Antarctic summer and found temperatures around minus one to zero degrees.
- He emphasised Antarctica is a dry desert so cold doesn't feel as penetrating as in London.
Antarctica Holds Most Fresh Water
- Antarctica is a massive rocky continent with up to four kilometres of ice containing 70% of the planet's fresh water.
- If it all melted it would raise sea levels by more than 10 metres, though that would take thousands of years.
Antarctica Is Earth's Cooling Engine
- Antarctica acts like the planet's air conditioning via the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that links all oceans.
- That current cools and circulates deep water, storing heat and absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide.