Humans Accidentally Canceled the Next Ice Age, Scientists Say

A study in Science suggests a new glacial period began about 2,000 years ago but was reversed by the 1960s as greenhouse gas emissions raised global temperatures. Future emissions could forestall the next ice age for hundreds of thousands of years, glaciologist Shaun Marcott writes.

• The Barnes Ice Cap began expanding about 2,000 years ago but has been losing mass since the 1960s
• The glacier could disappear completely within the next 300 years
• Future emissions could delay the next glaciation by hundreds of thousands of years
• Global temperatures are set to exceed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels within years