JOIN USThis summer has seen the Arctic sea-ice shrink as never before. Its expanse touched a new low this year, covering just 24 per cent of the Arctic Ocean. The previous low was in 2007 when it covered 29 per cent of its waters.
Scientists are warning that at the pace at which it is melting, Arctic sea-ice could disappear during summer within the next four years. The ice-covered Arctic Ocean plays an important role in cooling temperatures, earning itself the tag of the Earth’s air conditioner. That could now change if the world doesn’t act to halt the alarming melting of ice.
The melting of Arctic sea-ice will drastically impact life in the Arctic region. Experts have warned that it could drive the polar bear and other Arctic wildlife into extinction. Communities that are native to the Arctic region will have to make important changes in the way they live. However, the impact of the shrinking of Arctic ice will be felt far beyond the region.
The alteration of atmospheric patterns in the northern hemisphere will lead to extreme weather conditions in Europe and America. This is already evident. Melting ice will cause a rise in sea levels. A rise of sea levels by a meter will cause submergence of low-lying island-territories like the Maldives. This will force millions of people to migrate, which in turn could trigger conflicts.
Rapidly melting ice has made the Arctic’s massive oil, gas and mineral resource reserves easier to extract and exploit. It has opened up new shipping routes and made mineral wealth here more accessible. Human activity in the Arctic region has grown exponentially in recent years and this is destroying the environment and the delicate ecological balance here.
At a time when the world should be co-operating in finding a comprehensive strategy to tackle global warming, the big powers are beefing up their militaries and bases in the Arctic in anticipation of the looming conflict over the Arctic’s resources. The world needs to read the right message emerging from the Arctic’s melting ice. Rather than watch the ice melt gleefully and quickly move to extract resources lying beneath it, we need to preserve the ice. The survival of Life on Earth is linked crucially to maintaining the balance in the polar regions. We must preserve the ice to preserve ourselves.