Environment Buzzword: Greenlanders have their say on climate change

Greenland has the largest ice mass in the Northern Hemisphere, with a single ice sheet or glacier covering about 80 percent of the island. 

For many scientists, Greenland is a case study in the consequences of climate change, a place where its impact is most apparent, and the effects of rising temperatures, warming oceans and melting ice could have the most serious repercussions. 

"It's (the ice loss on Greenland) something around 8,000 or 10,000 tonnes per second," said William Colgan, research climatologist of Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

"There's a good chance that we might lose more like 30 percent (of the ice) in the next century," he added.

However, for the 56,000 people who live on this ice-covered island, the largest in the world, the realities of climate change are complex, bringing both unexpected benefits and serious challenges that contribute to mixed feelings about climate change. CGTN spoke with local residents there, and they shared their experience and views.

About the Environment Buzzword series

CGTN talks to people from across the world whose lives have been affected by environmental issues, such as climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss and then hears about possible solutions from experts in each field. We have talked to Australian experts to learn about a new type of disease caused by plastics in seabirds. We listened to Greenland residents to understand the impact of glacier melting, and we learned from residents in low-lying coastal villages that they are facing sea level rise on their doorsteps. The list goes on. Stay tuned!

Editors: Chen Chen, Xu Wen, Gao Yuxin

Video editor: Gao Yuxin

Cover image designers: Liang Qian

Chief editors: Qin Xiaohu, Yang Yan

Producers: Zhou Jun, Xing Fangyu

(If you have specific expertise and want to contribute, or if you have a topic of interest that you'd like to share with us, please email us at nature@cgtn.com.)