Since the 90s, sea levels have been rising by 0.04 to 0.1 inches annually, a factor that has recently led to floods, displacements, and some islands becoming inhabitable. This trend is expected to keep moving if we do not find ways of lowering our carbon emissions.
While nations insist they need to keep developing and industrializing, doing this using fossil fuels endangers every living creature. Most of all vulnerable animals, sadly, are polar bears and other sea creatures in Greenland whose lives rely on the now melting glaciers.
Is Climate Change a Hoax?
Politicians have made this topic controversial and even tried to downplay the effects of overdevelopment even though all signs show otherwise. That being said, there is a role for everyone to play. We can choose to express frustration at the ineffectiveness of efforts made by countries to meet the Paris Agreement requirements that require them to lower their carbon emissions, or we can start teaching the next generation of this pandemic.
Teaching the effects of human action and asking students to read essay samples about global warming could be a push in the right direction. Good thing is there is no shortage of paper examples about global warming problems and challenges. Activists, some as young as 10, are coming up with material that their peers find palatable to help them understand how they can help. We can do this as we wait for politicians to catch up.
Importance of the Greenland Ice Shield
Greenland and the Antarctic ice sheets are the largest in the world, and they sustain life in areas with temperatures so low that humans may not find them habitable. Their melting – which has been increasing since 1990 – could lead to the rise of sea levels that is either irreversible or whose effects will be felt for millennia. This means our actions today may not only cause the extinction of some animals but also deny future generations some of the most beautiful sceneries we currently enjoy.
Though any major lesson learned from the melting of these ice sheets is still being observed by experts, expected devastations lie in islands. Most of them may become fully submerged as sea levels rise, while ports and other coastal facilities will have to be moved. Even sadder is the fact that the damage is too extensive to be stopped all at once, and so the effects of what we are doing today may be felt up to a century from now.
How Global Warming affects Animals in the Greenland Ice Shield
The survival of polar bears largely depends on sea ice. They hunt ice seals and females build their nests in ice covers. They nest for 5 to seven months, meaning they will have been without food for that long. Their survival and that of their cubs depends on food availability when they come out of their nests. Melting glaciers work negatively for them.
Ice-dependent seals – ringed, bearded, and ribbon seals – give birth and rest on the ice sea. Their ability to nurse their young ones and provide safe homes depends on them being able to build sufficient lairs on ice, especially for the ringed seals. Premature ice breakouts make it impossible to provide homes, leading to the separation of mothers and young ones, effectively affecting their rates of survival.
Seabirds such as little auks and ivory gulls feed off fishes that show in the cracks of ice, and they also find rocky cliffs the perfect hideouts from predators. With rocks breaking and retreating, they are exposed and vulnerable.
The walrus, being a bottom feeder, depends on clams and other shellfish that you find at the edge of cliffs. Now, breakups mean fewer clams for the walrus. Lastly, the ice alga, which is now being replaced by less productive species associated with fresh water has been noted by experts. They attribute this to the fact that the melting glaciers have now formed a large 30-meter layer that is deeper than was 20 years ago.
When you think about all these animals – Walrus, Ice-dependent seal, Seabirds, Ice algae, and Polar bear, you can’t help but be alarmed by the course of nature.
Each has a Role to play
We cannot afford to be silent about global problems simply because they do not affect us directly. There is always something you can do to prevent the demise of polar bears and seals, including switching to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind energy. You could also intentionally lower the consumption of power by switching off electronics and using LED lights that consume less power. Passing on knowledge through education in class equips children with a better understanding and respect for the world we live in.