Inequalities of ice loss: a framework for addressing sociocryospheric change
Loading...
Date
2023-05-12
Authors
Carey, Mark
Moulton, Holly
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Cryospheric change occurs in unequal spaces. Societies living near ice are divided by race, class,
gender, geography, politics and other factors. Consequently, impacts of ice loss are not shared
equally, and everyone experiences cryospheric changes differently. Responsibility for recent ice
loss is also driven by a relatively small portion of humanity: those who emit the most greenhouse
gases. Additionally, people who study the cryosphere come from institutions and societies where
inequality is often systemic, making research on ice and snow a symptom of and contributor to
social inequality. To better understand unequal effects of cryospheric change within and across
diverse communities, including research communities, this paper focuses on three areas, drawing
primarily from glacier-related work: (1) the social context of cryospheric changes; (2) attribution
and responsibility for cryospheric changes and (3) imbalances in knowledge about the cryosphere.
Addressing these dimensions of ice loss requires transdisciplinary approaches that
connect research to societies and link glaciology and other cryospheric sciences with social
sciences and humanities. These concepts, cases and suggestions to help address inequalities
also reveal that no singular conceptualization of sustainability exists. Different societies, residents
and researchers possess distinct understandings of and goals for ‘ice in a sustainable society’.
Description
10 pages
Keywords
Climate change, Ice and climate, Mountain glaciers
Citation
Carey M, Moulton H (2023). Inequalities of ice loss: a framework for addressing sociocryospheric change. Annals of Glaciology 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1017/ aog.2023.44