by JP-16, 7 July 2008

We choose to think that global warming is something that will impact us in the future. NOT SO: Recent scientific studies have revealed worrying evidence of a 50-50 chance that the North Pole will be completely ice-free…this summer.

This icy truth has shocked millions worldwide. Every year since recorded history, a thin layer of ice melts every summer, a layer called “first-year ice”. This layer of ice would then refreeze during the winter, so no considerable ice loss would occur year after year. However, over the past few decades, because of the Earth’s meteoric temperature rise, the ice in the North Pole has been peeling at an unprecedented rate, and has reached the point where all the ice left in the Arctic is a single fragile layer of “first-year ice” – a layer as thin as the one that used to cover Siberia.

Whether all the ice will indeed melt completely this summer will depend on water movements, wind patterns and general weather conditions in the next few weeks; however, the currently observed early signs are already horrific. In fact, they are worse than that observed last year, which was a record year for ice melt all over the Arctic.

>We hear it all the time: global warming is becoming an increasingly eminent threat, that a mere increase of one degree Celsius will endanger biodiversity, and that steps should be taken now in order to save our future. While that is true…how far is the future we hear about? 10 years? 50 years?

Currently, due to global warming, the polar regions are suffering from the most drastic increase of temperatures, raising fears that the more ice lost, the more the newly opened ocean will absorb heat and raise temperatures even further, which would thus result in an intensification of earthquakes and storms around the world.

As billions all over the world cringe, oil companies are secretly rejoicing, as they no longer have to plow through thick layers of ice in order to find sources of oil. They pressure the politicians who are seemingly unable to take the heat.

But we should not lose hope or be complacent about this. Politicians are beginning to see the lethal dangers of global warming and are now pushing for initiatives in their country, and we must be proactive and fervent in supporting them. Moreover, we should not underestimate the importance of making crucial personal lifestyle changes now… before they are forced upon us.

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