Global warming is liquefying the Arctic two times faster than it is heating the rest of the planet in what may be an omen for worldwide climate disasters in the next century, according to an eight-nation study released last week.
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report, funded by the United States, Canada, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Finland, projects that human emissions of heat-trapping gases will greatly intensify global warming and climbing sea levels by 2100.
The Arctic climate could become four to seven Celsius degrees warmer over the next century, which would thaw half of the region’s summer ice and a major part of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Greenland alone contains enough melt water to elevate sea levels by about 23 feet.
Kert Davies, research director for Greenpeace USA, said the Arctic situation should alarm the rest of the world that disruptions to the North Pole’s environment could affect the entire planet.
He compared the North Pole to a “canary in a coal mine,” referring to coal miners’ ancient practice of testing the level of dangerous gases in mines by releasing a canary underground. If the bird died, the miners knew the gases would kill them, too.
Davies said most people do not realize a shift of a few degrees would shake the scales of the planet’s ecosystem.
“Our climate is delicately balanced, just like our bodies that like to stay at 98.6 degrees,” he said. “And you feel kind of sick even if your temperature is only 100.6 degrees.”
An escalating barometer would melt at least half of Arctic summer sea ice by the end of this century, the report said. This could lead to the extinction of some animal species, such as ice-living seals and polar bears, and would endanger local people who hunt seals for food.
Richard Lindroth, a University of Wisconsin professor of entomology, zoology and member of the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, said the reduction of Arctic ice would perpetuate the warming cycle. Since ice reflects light, less ice means the surrounding areas would absorb more of the sun’s energy and heat up more quickly, raising sea levels even more.
Higher sea levels would affect American cities in ways similar to the Hollywood movie, “The Day after Tomorrow,” according to Sierra Club representative Eric Uram. Coastal cities would plunge underwater, and mounting temperatures would disturb much of agriculture. Warmer summers and shorter winters could eventually transform weather in places like Wisconsin to a Mexico-like climate, he said.
“How many times do we have to have this repeated from a qualified scientific body?” Uram said. “We’re holding the gun and we have the ability to either pull the trigger, or not.”
Davies said the Bush administration opposition to signing the Kyoto protocol prevents America from adequately dealing with global warming.
“It’s like he shifted back 10 years to his father’s principles on voluntary action,” Davies said of the president’s call for businesses to self-regulate their greenhouse gas emissions.
He added the ACIA report has shown this is a “ridiculous platform,” since the country now knows to act on global warming.
