Good morning.

There’s never a good record broken when it comes to the environment, is there?

The latest global first: sea ice dropped to a record low in early February and remained below the previous record for the rest of the month. According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Arctic sea ice was 8% below average – in the Antarctic, it was 26% below average.

Sea ice plays a crucial role in the global climate system, acting as a natural barrier against planetary warming and helping to regulate ocean currents. This latest record is yet another alarming reminder of the profound impact of the climate crisis on the polar regions and the planet – at a time when many climate action policies are being sidelined or rolled back entirely.

For today’s newsletter, I spoke with the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, about the material impacts of melting sea ice and why we should be paying more attention to it. That’s right after the headlines.

Five big stories

1. Ukraine | European leaders holding emergency talks in Brussels have agreed on a massive increase to defence spending, amid a drive to shore up support for Ukraine after Donald Trump halted US military aid and intelligence sharing.

2. US news | In an apparent attempt to distance himself from the radical job slashing of federal workers, Elon Musk is telling Republican politicians in private meetings that he is not to blame for the mass firings that are causing uproar across the country. Meanwhile, Donald Trump reportedly told his cabinet secretaries on Thursday that they are ultimately in charge of hiring and firings at their agencies – not billionaire aide Musk.

3. Immigration and asylum | Tens of thousands of children in migrant and refugee families in the UK are being denied access to government-funded childcare because of benefit restrictions linked to their parents’ immigration status, a report says.

4. Environment | People in London have been breathing significantly cleaner air since the expansion of the ultra low emission zone (Ulez), a study has found.

5. UK news | A former soldier has been found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend before murdering her with a crossbow. Kyle Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during an attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, last year.

In depth: ‘We’re taking away one of the natural defences against a hotter planet’

To understand why this matters, we first need to be clear on what we’re talking about. So, here are some basic definitions.

Sea ice is frozen ocean water. Unlike glaciers, ice shelves, or ice caps – which originate on land – sea ice forms, melts, and grows entirely in the ocean, with a natural ebb and flow of its size depending on the time of year. Crucially, sea ice melting does not directly contribute to sea level rise, as it is already part of the ocean’s volume.

Why does this matter?

Sea ice helps cool the planet because its bright white surface is highly effective at reflecting excess sunlight. When it melts, that heat is instead absorbed by the dark blue ocean, accelerating the warming process. So even though sea ice isn’t directly linked to sea level rise, when it melts it “weakens the forces that prevent or slow down sea level rise,” Ajit says.

Sea ice melting also drives global heating through a “feedback loop,” Ajit explains. As more sea ice melts, more heat is trapped, warming the planet further and triggering even more ice loss. According to one study, sea ice has already lost 14% of its natural cooling effect since the 1980s.

The British Antarctic Survey has also highlighted the “profound influence” of sea ice on the polar environment, as it affects “ocean circulation, weather, regional climate and operators”. Floating sea ice acts as a protective buffer for Antarctic ice shelves, shielding them from destructive ocean waves and helping maintain their structural stability.

Melting sea ice could also disrupt ocean currents, potentially accelerating warming in the southern hemisphere, causing harsher winters in Europe, and weakening the northern hemisphere’s tropical monsoon.

“By taking away one of the natural defences against a hotter planet, we’re accelerating our own demise,” Ajit warns. “Many aspects of climate change, like more severe and frequent extreme weather events, will get more intense.”

What about the polar bears?

For a long time, the defining image of the climate crisis was a lone polar bear stranded on a melting ice sheet. While that image is now seen as something of a cliche, the urgency, and power, of the underlying message remains the same.

These environmental changes have the potential to “totally warp an ecosystem,” Ajit says. Walruses, polar bears, beluga whales, arctic foxes, seals and reindeer are just some of the species that are struggling with habitat loss and disappearing food sources. Like humans, animals have to adapt, and if they cannot they face extinction.

What’s next?

“If you’re a meteorologist or a climate scientist, this is just another year, another broken record,” Ajit says. Between 1979 and 2021, late-summer sea ice cover shrank by 13% a decade. In the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest Arctic ice has declined by a staggering 95%. “But if you take a step back, the idea of the world hitting record after record like this is still something that terrifies and shocks scientists,” Ajit adds.

Predictions vary on the timeline for melting if the current trends continue. One study suggests the Arctic could see its first ice-free day before 2030. Simulations from the Esa’s Climate Change Initiative forecast that much of the Arctic Ocean could become ice-free during summer by 2050. Another study indicates that natural variations might delay these changes by a decade – but it is coming.

“It’s happening in my lifetime – that’s the expectation. But exactly when depends on what we do today,” Ajit says. “If we continue burning fossil fuels at the current rate, we will only accelerate that trend.” By 2100, the National Snow and Ice Data Center predicts that the Arctic will be “beyond recognition”.

Efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and transition to a greener economy have been made, but they are nowhere near enough to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris agreement. The target to keep global heating no higher than 1.5C over preindustrial levels is now seen as almost unattainable, with many scientists warning that the planet is on track to warm by 2.5C. Such an increase could lead to a catastrophic future characterised by famine, conflict and more extreme weather events, worse than those already affecting the planet.

“And on top of that, we’ve seen in the last few months a rollback of many climate policies across Europe and North America,” Ajit says. “Climate action hasn’t completely stopped, but the momentum – at the very least – is slowing across the board.”

What else we’ve been reading

• Do I have a Glastonbury ticket? No. But am I still invested in who is playing this year? Yes. Neil Young, the 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo are the main stage headliners, and join an otherwise loaded list of artists. Katy Vans, newsletters team

• If you’re tired of reading about all the ways AI could harm us, steal our data, and destroy the planet, Richard Adams offers a surprisingly optimistic and refreshing report on how it’s being used positively in English schools. Nimo

• I spent a lot of time on Dartmoor in my youth and so enjoyed this article about a new walking route in the area. Oliver Smith explored the pilgrimage trail that is the Archangel’s Way. Katy

• Amid Donald Trump’s brazen attacks on diversity policies, black politicians in California pressed forward with a package of reparations bills, arguing the fight for racial equity is more crucial than ever. Michela Moscufo’s report delves into the internal conflicts and external attacks. Nimo

• According to recent surveys 45 is the age for peak happiness, Zoe Williams comes to the conclusion that life is simply harder for those under 45 right now, “We’re the same people, dealing with different facts.” Katy

Sport

Football | Joshua Zirkzee gave Manchester United the lead before Mikel Oyarzabal levelled for Real Sociedad with a penalty in a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, Son Heung-min insisted Tottenham’s defeat to AZ in the Europa League must be a ‘wake-up call’.

Cricket | Rob Key has said he would be “stupid” not to consider Ben Stokes taking on the captaincy of at least one of England’s white-ball teams as he and Brendon McCullum attempt to right the ship after the recent Champions Trophy blowout.

American football | The Denver Broncos have fired one of their assistant coaches after he was accused of punching a police officer in the face. Michael Wilhoite was involved in a confrontation with a police officer at Denver international airport in February.

The front pages

‘“A watershed moment’: EU leaders agree huge defence spending rise” is the splash on the Guardian today, as Europe rallies to support Ukraine after US halts aid and intelligence sharing. “Trump is ‘encouraged’ by Zelensky peace talk,” writes the Times, while the Independent says: “Russia warns PM’s peace plan would trigger ‘direct war’”.

“Warped by Toxic Tate,” is the headline on the Sun, on the crossbow killer. Leading on the same story, the Mail runs with “Misogyny that fuelled killer, while the Express says: “Evil ‘fuelled’ by watching Tate videos”. The Mirror looks another horrific murder in Nottingham running the headline: “Betrayed again”.

“Gen z jobless face benefit cuts,” says the I, as the Telegraph highlights the funds of another demographic, writing “Pension fund giants boycott UK arms firms”.

Something for the weekend

Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now

TV
Get Millie Black | ★★★★☆
Our heroine – played ably, and often hauntingly, by Small Axe’s Tamara Lawrance – is a Jamaican-born Briton and former Scotland Yard detective, who has found herself back on the island of her birth (there was, she quips, “only so much shitty weather and institutionalised racism I could take”). Her abusive mother is dead, but the brother she thought was also deceased is alive, if not totally well. Black, however, is a force of nature, and a joy to watch, wherever she is in the world. This isn’t Death in Paradise. But if you’re OK with a little more blood and a little less whimsy, you may find it just as good – or even better. Hannah J Davies

Film
Mickey 17 | ★★★☆☆
Bong Joon-ho has delivered his first movie since the Oscar-winning Parasite, and it’s a great, big, slightly soft-edged, sci-fi fantasy. It stars Robert Pattinson as a bio-clone menial worker of the future condemned to eternal life, or eternal death, by being repeatedly killed in the service of a space exploration corporation doing fatally dangerous jobs and then reincarnated. Pattinson’s saturnine look gives something mysterious to the role, but in years gone by Bong could just as well as have cast Tom Hanks and encouraged him to go into Forrest Gump mode. It’s eerie, startling – and yet also unexpectedly benign. Peter Bradshaw

Game
Two Point Museum (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox) | ★★★★★
Here, as the curator of the county’s timeworn institutions, you must protect profit first and history second. Easier said than done when there’s so much to manage: you must hire experts to source and maintain exhibits, assistants to run front-of-house, janitors to scrape stubborn substances from floors, and security guards to handle donations and play whack-a-mole with criminals. “Prehistoric items have been here for thousands of years,” announces the museum’s public address system. “Same,” you may think, as you adjust the colours of your gift shop counter to match your new tiles. Yet, as you step back to admire the result, not a second feels wasted. Alysia Judge

Music
Alabaster DePlume: A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole | ★★★★☆
DePlume’s seventh album comes with a statement of purpose. “What is it FOR?” asks the accompanying blurb, written by the artist, born Angus Fairbairn. “To inspire and facilitate our independent healing … Recently I told everyone to ‘go forward in the courage of your love’ and ‘be brazen like a baby’. Following this incitement to boldness it is only fair that I offer a perspective on healing whatever comes as a result.” At heart, A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole is packed with beautiful music – the string-laden backing of Form a V that tilts gently in the direction of reggae and lusciously upholstered soul; the gently insistent waltz-time motion of Who Are You Telling, Gus. It’s music that seems to affect listeners emotionally far more effectively than the words. You could take that as a failing, but it isn’t: after all, that’s what music is for. Alexis Petridis

Today in Focus

Inside the Islamic State prisons the west is trying to forget

Michael Safi travelled to north-east Syria to speak to IS foreign fighters imprisoned there. And discovered that a change in the US administration, and USAid funding cuts, means there is a growing fear of prison breaks.

Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings

The Upside

A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad

E-waste is one of the great environmental scourges of our time – particularly in the UK, which ranks second worst in the world per capita. But in response, repair shops are popping up around the nation to give new life to everything from portable CD players to hotplates.

For the Guardian sustainability series The alternatives, Matthew Taylor took a visit to one London shop, the Fixing Factory, and found “a steady stream of people coming through the door, clutching broken vacuum cleaners, lamps and kettles”.

Beyond the feeling of accomplishment of fixing broken stuff, volunteer Tony Woolf says the shop “is such a great thing to be involved in. Doing something positive and hopefully helpful … it is just a lovely place to be.”

Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday

Bored at work?

And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until Monday.

• Quick crossword

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