100 years ago, the Earth was cooler than it is today. In fact, temperatures around the world are 0.8°C higher than they were in 1920. This might not sound like a lot, but it has a terrible effect on the ice in polar regions, as it causes them to melt. The melting of the polar ice caps not only harms the local plants, people and wildlife but it also leads to rising sea levels globally, causing problems for us all.
One of the most serious disasters to hit the polar regions is the breaking of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. It is the largest single block of ice in the Arctic. It has been around for 3,000 years and began breaking apart in the year 2000.
As a result, the freshwater from the ice began to flow into the ocean, changing the local environment forever. Without the ice, animals such as polar bears, walruses, and seals must move to new areas and change their feeding habits. Many of these marine mammals are at risk as their home continues to disappear into the ocean.
However, the fast melting of the Arctic ice doesn’t only have local effects. As ice caps become smaller and thinner, the Earth takes in more energy from the Sun and the planet becomes warmer. We really need to take notice and wonder: Are we skating on thin ice?
