After the largest expedition ever to the North Pole, researchers say Arctic ice is receding faster than ever before and that we may have already passed the point of no return on global heating. The expedition’s leader, Markus Rex, presented the team’s findings on Tuesday.

Markus Rex: “There are several tipping points in the climate system which lead to irreversible, sudden changes, which are triggered when the planet reaches a certain temperature. We have seen that we are on the verge of that tipping point which will lead to the disappearance of the ice in the Arctic summer.”