Melting ice

This January was the third warmest month on record in Europe, with some parts of the continent witnessing record-breaking temperatures. The increased heating that the planet is experiencing has resulted in the rapid melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Scientists have reported the Antarctic Ocean area covered by ice is the lowest that it has ever been.

As the sea ice melts, less surface is available for sunlight to bounce back from. Instead, the water absorbs the heat, further driving the melting process and creating a vicious irreversible cycle. Scientists believe that the extreme melting of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic ocean will increase water levels and threaten coastal cities as well as small islands, which will become more prone to flooding events. They claim that global sea levels could rise by as high as 20 feet. However, while there are some critics will claim that this melting has no discernible effect on sea levels, the unprecedented rate of melting in itself is tangible evidence that climate change is having an irreversible impact on our planet. Let’s not forget the devastating effect it can have on arctic animals such as walruses and polar bears, who cannot survive in warm conditions. Unfortunately, there is no short-term remedy to stop or even slow down such melting. What is required in a collective global effort and combatting climate change and taking radical decisions over the next decade.

Global leaders have failed to form a consensus on the matter and international conferences have not been able to hold organisations and countries accountable due to staunch resistance. Advocacy and activism have helped to create awareness but until the people at the helm do not come to the realisation that the entire humanity is at risk, little can be done to save it.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2023.

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