Arctic and Antarctic sea ice at record low

The UN says the extent of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic last month was the lowest on record for January.

The extent of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic last month was the lowest on record for January, the UN World Meteorological Organisation says, while concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record level.

"The missing ice in both poles has been quite extraordinary," David Carlson, Director of the World Climate Research Program, told a UN briefing in Geneva.