Polar ice caps are melting at alarmingly fast rates. This is one of the effects of climate change, and many problems will arise if it is not addressed. One of the biggest problems will be the rise in sea levels which will affect many places around the world that are near bodies of water. The US states, New York and New Orleans, for example, will be affected as they are surrounded by water. Many people will lose their homes, among other things, and animals will lose their habitats. These projections indicate that we have to stop climate change. We have to find effective ways to slow down the melting of the polar ice caps before it’s too late for us to do anything about it. One of the ways that we can help is by lowering our carbon footprints.
Are polar ice caps important?
The polar ice caps are very important to Earth’s climatic sustainability. They reflect sunlight into space while water absorbs the warmth of the sun. Earth has a huge problem because the planet is getting warmer and not enough sunlight is being reflected into space. If this process persists the polar ice caps will continue to melt at an alarming rate. This will cause sea levels to rise affecting everyone around the planet, and as aforementioned, people will lose their homes and animals will lose their habitats. The present actions of polar bears demonstrate the loss of animal habitats due to global warming: polar bears are found wandering in places where humans live. Another problem caused by the melting of the polar ice caps is the release of trapped bacteria, including unknown ones. Bacteria can survive in ice for several years and once released, many health and environmental problems will result.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27122017/arctic-antarctic-sea-ice-sheets-2017-year-review-glaciers-disappearing-polar-records
What can we do to slow down the melting of the polar ice caps?
It is important to understand that human activities contribute majorly to global warming. Our lifestyles have affected our climate through, for example, using cars as modes of transportation. Driving a car is one of the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions, so, instead of driving cars we can walk or use bikes. Another solution is to plant more trees; trees help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase oxygen. Furthermore, we can recycle; recycling prevents trash from ending up in our oceans and slows down the melting of the polar ice caps.
The polar ice caps are very important to our survival. To reiterate, they reflect sunlight into space which is essential to Earth’s climatic balance. If we did not have the polar ice caps the earth would be hotter. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate and we need to address the problem aggressively. We have to change our lifestyles to save our planet. If everyone did something to help save the planet it will be a better place.
