The West Antarctic ice sheet will continue to increase its rate of melting in the remainder of the century even if the use of fossil fuels is significantly reduced, according to research published this Monday by the journal Nature Climate Change. The researchers warn that it is likely that a substantial acceleration of melting cannot now be avoided, implying Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise, a phenomenon that could increase rapidly in the coming decades, according to the publication. How was the study done Scientists ran simulations on the UK's national supercomputer to investigate ocean-driven melting of the West Antarctic cap to find out to what extent it is inevitable and needs to be adapted to, and how much melting the international community still has control over. by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Taking into account climate variability such as El Niño, they found no significant differences between mid-range emissions scenarios and the most ambitious goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Even in the best-case scenario, with a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees, melting will increase three times faster than in the 20th century, according to the publication. The West Antarctic cape is losing ice and Antarctica's largest contributor to sea level rise. Based on previous models, this loss could be due to warming of the Southern Ocean, especially in the Amundsen Sea region, the researchers concluded. Together, the West Antarctic cape contains enough ice to raise average sea level by up to five metres. Around the world, millions of people live near the coast and these communities will be greatly affected by rising sea levels. A better understanding of future changes will allow policymakers to plan ahead and adapt more easily.