Tonight’s final episode like most in these kinds of series is a look at the future of the planet and how the current climate affects the poles and how their effects will affect us. I will be honest and say that I’m not really fussed on these episodes; I prefer the actual series exploring the life as opposed to these explanations on climate change. Although they are interesting and open your eyes on what’s going on in our planet. The obvious highlighted effect is climate change and the rising temperatures causing the heating up of the Polar Regions and the potential for more ice melt forcing rising sea levels. As much as 60 metres if the Antarctic ice sheet, account for 75% of the Earths freshwater, melts.
For the first time in human history we will see open water in the Arctic, it is expected to occur within the next few decades, possibly by 2020. These will create effects not just felt in the Poles but all around the World.
The declining ice affects the animals like polar bears who no longer can hunt the same grounds they used to. The ice under their feet is shrinking and although it is normal for them to go Summers without food the conditions and ability to find any food are worsening so many bears starve and their cubs feel the effects more, especially underweight cubs.
In the Antarctic Peninsula the temperature has risen by 3 degrees, ten times more than the rest of the World, this means the effects are felt most by the bird populations like Adelie Penguins who are dependent on sea ice. Their numbers are declining perhaps because of starvation or perhaps because of some migrating to colder climates. The milder temperature causes a decline in one species but also brings a rise in another. Species such as Gentoo penguins are migrating to the Antarctic Peninsula, brought with the warmer climate there are ten times more Gentoo’s in the Peninsula than there were thirty years ago.
Not only animals are affected but humans too such as Alaskan ice fisherman from the town of Barrow. The receding ice means a loss of livelihood and inability to fish for the food that they rely on for income and nutrition. The rising temperature also creates concern for inuits who travel across the arctic tundra. Cracks have always occurred but now they are happening more frequently. Inuit’s have taken to using GPS to map out where the cracks are to allow both members of their communities to be aware of where they are and scientists so they can study and map them. The receding ice is not only bad news some good comes out of it like making it easier for companies to drill for oil, in the mineral rich poles. There is now a race for companies and countries to claim land to drill for oil. It also opens up trade routes like the Northwest Pass between Canada and Russia, making it easier and quicker to trade items. The Northwest Pass was completely free of ice for the first time ever in 2007.
As the episode clearly shows, climate change and the melting of the Poles is a real issue, its affects are real and have already begun. It is now time to act and help alleviate the problems we may face. Millions of people will be affected if the sea rises by 1 metre, heaven help us if it rises by 60 like it has the potential to do. Animals have already shown that they can adapt to these changing conditions, they question that remains is can we?
