Melting the Polar Ice Caps

Climate change seems to be a major source of contention in politics today. Everyone who wants to run for office seems to be making it a personal goal to do something about the great warming of our environment. I am not sure if these people should be the ones making those kinds of decisions. These are the same people who found a way to put our country $17 trillion dollars into debt. Who knows what they are going to do to the environment.

The question is, "Are the Polar Ice Caps Melting?" and "Is there going to be a major environmental change as a result of that melting?" and "Is there anything we can do to stop that melting?" Let's take a few minutes to see if we can answer these questions.

We have been in a Warming Trend for the Past 20 Years.

Scientists have been collecting data on the rate the ice has been melting in the arctic regions for many years. They have been doing this with physical readings in the areas they are studying and with pictures from satellites that orbit the Earth. They show the amount of ice that shows up every winter at the poles. They show the average temperatures throughout the world. They have discovered a rising trend in the warmth of the planet and they think it is our fault.

The waters are rising and they are going to change everything. One of the hardest hit places are going to be the gulfs. The Gulf of Mexico is one that will hurt in a big way. There are thousands of acres of marsh lands that will disappear into the gulf, stealing the habitat for many birds and frogs and reptiles.

There are many houses that are built along this coast that are not built to withstand more than a few feet of sea-level increase. They will be flooded and no longer be livable.

The Cities are Having to Plan for the Rising of Water

Scientists are saying Sea Level is going to continue to rise. They are sating the average rise could be something like 3 feet in the next 100 years. This will mean that many coastal cities will have to fight the ocean like New Orleans does by installing dikes or just moving their cities back to prepare for the oncoming waters.

I like the way Mike Lemonick looks at the way our climate change has stalled for the moment. He shows how our climate changes and goes through cycles, but if you back away and look at the data over the last 100 years, there is still and upward trend in temperature. It is too early to say that Global warming is over.