Ever read about the polar bears or penguins living in unbelievably low temperatures when they are young? If so, then you know that polar bears and penguins live in freezing areas like the North and South Pole. Unfortunately, a recent report says the habitat of these amazing animals is disappearing faster than expected. Their natural habitat consists of sea ice in the Arctic. Climate change is a result of global warming and it is not just affecting humans, but the innocent animals as well. Although humans are aware of this issue, the effort to reverse the damage has not been enough. The ice continues to melt and the animals continue to lose their homes.
http://www.dw.com/en/why-is-the-arctic-melting-faster-than-the-antarctic/a-38678700
According to Katharina Wecker, a blogger from DW.com, a recent report says the Arctic may be completely ice-free by 2040, which is only 22 years from now. The sound of that is frightening since we all know that will be a major change in the earth’s geography. “Scientists agree that global warming causes both the ice in the North and the South Pole to melt. Air temperatures are climbing, and so are water temperatures. This makes the ice melt faster. The period of winter where the water is actually cold enough to freeze is getting shorter, which means ice flows are getting smaller” said Wecker. What is odd is that the Arctic seems to be melting faster than the Antarctic. It appears that the two poles are “geographic opposites of each other” because they are on the opposite side of the world and the Antarctic is a land surrounded by ocean. Nonetheless, they are both melting although at a fast pace. When it comes to global warming, so much damage has occurred we cannot fix it fast enough.
2 Responses
An importance revolving around artic life.
I agree with you in terms that there hasn’t been much attention placed on the Arctic life of both the south and the north. I do believe if we don’t approach such situations penguins and polar bears will cease to exist in their respective natural habitat. It was mentioned how even simple ice caps in the Arctic help counter and regulate the warming of the earth. But as more of these ice caps melt, the higher the temperature and the more global warming reflects on that action. The melting of Arctic ice will raise sea levels and expose us to methane, another greenhouse gas. Ways to help Arctic life and the Arctic is to reduce the use of carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, as well as becoming more energy efficient. We need to give more attention to the Arctic as it is an essential piece to our life, we need to be more aware of the habitat and animals living there .
Polar bears were in the news more recently due to their connection to climate change. There is footage of an emaciated, dying polar bear- which has been linked to human impact on our climate. The recorded footage was viral online, and the videographer hoped to convey a message to society about the damage climate change is already doing species living in the Arctic. The World Wildlife Fund stated that is was possible for polar bears among other animals in the Arctic to be listed as endangered in the near future or extinct due to the effect of climate change. As the melting sea ice continues to be an existential threat to animals in the Arctic, society must devise and enforce ways to reduce our carbon footprint before we bring these species into extinction. The animals in the Arctic should also be a sign for humans to decrease their consumption in order to reverse climate change, as it not only negatively impacts animals, but ultimately society as a whole.