The Arctic's First Ice-Free Summer Arrives in 2013
Sen. John Kerry: The Arctic's First Ice-Free Summer Is 'In Four Years'. That Summer's Minimum: 5.1 Million km²
In a Council on Foreign Relations speech and then a HuffPost op-ed, the Foreign Relations chairman put the ice-free Arctic 'not in 2050, but four years from now.'
What was said
“In four years, the Arctic is projected to experience its first ice-free summer—not in 2030—in 2013.”
— John Kerry (US Senator, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) · said Jun 15, 2009 · due Summer 2013
The 2013 minimum, on September 13, was 5.10 million square kilometers of sea ice, according to NSIDC.
Then vs Now
Promised: the Arctic's first ice-free summer, in 2013
Arctic sea ice minimum extent, September 13, 2013 (as of 2013-09-13)
The Story
He repeated it in a HuffPost op-ed later that summer: 'Scientists project that the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer of 2013. Not in 2050, but four years from now.' PolitiFact checked it within weeks. His later deadline: kerry-nine-years-2030.
Other ice-free-Arctic dates: maslowski-arctic-2013, gore-arctic-2014, wadhams-arctic-2016, zwally-arctic-2012.
Receipts
- Chairman Kerry Addresses Council on Foreign Relations - Senate Foreign Relations Committee (June 15, 2009)accessed 2026-10-09
- We Can't Ignore the Security Threat from Climate Change - John Kerry, HuffPost (2009)accessed 2026-10-09
- Kerry claims the Arctic will be ice-free by summer 2013 - PolitiFact (September 2, 2009)accessed 2026-10-09
- Arctic sea ice reaches lowest extent for 2013 - National Snow and Ice Data Centeraccessed 2026-10-09