|
The Arctic mirrors what ails the world today gripped by global warming. As the ice melts and nations vie for the rich mineral resources once hidden under the snow, the writing on the wall is often ignored, reports Fatima Chowdhury
Thousands of miles away in the Arctic region fate stands delicately balanced at the edge of time. Located at the Earth's north pole, the region includes the Arctic ocean surrounded by the five Arctic states -- Russia, United States through Alaska, Canada, Norway and Denmark through Greenland. Although no country owns the region, the five states under international law are permitted to 370 kilometre (200 nautical mile) economic zone around their coasts.
However, for the common people like us, the complicated geographical and political implications are often lost. The Arctic is simply an enchanting world where we have never been to but admire from a distant through enthralling images and stories. We can only imagine the depth of its harsh beauty as the cold breeze rustles across the creeks and the Tundra with careless abundance. The frozen seas with large glaciers and icebergs float like large white clouds serenely against formidable jagged peaks. It is the land of the Beluga Whale and the Polar Bear along with a host of other wildlife and marine life. And to the indigenous people, one of the harshest environments in the world is simply home.
But the Arctic is no longer able to hide the dark shadows that loom ominously over it. The region is already bringing changes to its world. From the vast untapped oil and gas reserves to the industrial and agricultural chemicals that travel carelessly via air and water currents to this once pristine land, the Arctic way of life is under threat. However, it is the Arctic's vulnerability to global warming or as it is more broadly termed 'Climate Change' that has brought the most attention. For it is here that the detrimental effects of climate change unfold silently making a powerful statement to those who care to listen.
The grim predictions for the Arctic is well documented in the several studies done by researchers over the years. One of the most comprehensive and independent studies is the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) done in November, 2004. The four-year study concluded that almost half the Arctic sea ice would melt by the end of the century bringing a dreadful fate for polar people and animals alike. Not only that, the resonates of their changing world would also be heard as far away as Florida and Louisiana as rising sea levels threaten floods across the low-lying coastal areas. In 2005, scientist aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise found new disturbing evidence that Greenland's glaciers were melting at an unprecedented rate.
According to Greenpeace, “Greenland's massive ice sheet locks up more than six percent of the world's fresh water supply, and if it were to melt fully, it would cause sea levels around the globe to rise by nearly 20 feet." But as Greenpeace campaigner onboard the Arctic Sunrise, Melanie Duchin puts it bluntly, “The alarm is now deafening. We can't stand back and watch our future go under, literally." As recent as September, 2007, scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Centre found that in the 30 years since records of the Arctic sea ice began to be kept, the ice had shrunk to its lowest level. The European Space Agency's satellite images further showed the Arctic sea ice coverage decreasing enough to open the historically impassable sea route of the Northwest Passage “ for the first time since records began in 1978".
The scientific research on the Arctic is important with agencies like The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) providing a crucial window to the depth of the problem through its comprehensive studies and information. However, the work being done by organisations such as WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) is just as important in the effort to preserve the Arctic. Since 1992, through its International Arctic Programme, WWF has been working with partners across the Arctic to preserve its rich biodiversity in a sustainable way. The programme has successfully provided current and dependable information through field-based projects to initiate better policies and actions to combat climate change. WWF is also contributing to the activities of the Circumarctic Protected Areas Network (CPAN) and Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) in developing as well as implementing adaptation strategies for species, ecosystems, and cultures in coping with a changing climate in the Arctic.
The other interesting programme sponsored by WWF is the Climate Witness projects. As it points out, "The climate affects the migration and survival of animals that are an important source of native diets, the ability of goods to arrive from the south, the stability of homes on the permafrost and the ice-thickness to make travel over land and sea safe." Therefore, the project is a platform for people not only tell their stories about how they are experiencing the changes in climate but also and what it means to them.
The Greenpeace is another organisation working to preserve what is left of the Arctic. One of the initiatives it has undertaken is the idea of designating the Arctic as a World Park, including a marine reserve. It has also begun the "Hands of the Arctic" petition urging people to come forward and be heard. "As the political and military jockeying for control of the far north continues, the ice melts away," points out Greenpeace. The world cannot falter with the lack of political will compounded by indifference for the Artic does not have a second chance to undo the past. Besides, the question is no longer about the future as we confront the challenges posed by a changing Artic in the present.
The scientist gathered at the Geophysical Union meeting in 2007 believe that in the next six years we may actually see the summer sea ice in the Arctic totally disappear. Thus, Neil Hamilton, director of the WWF International Arctic Programme, said in the international policymakers’ meeting in Bali Goblal Warming meet: "This unsettling news is the most compelling argument for deep cuts to emissions, now." He realistically stated that while time may have run out to avoid an arctic meltdown, it is essential that the world needs to understand that what happens in the Arctic affects us all. Already WWF is concerned that the Arctic is on course to disappear entirely by the end of the century with its research showing that: "perennial Arctic ice is melting by nearly 10% a decade." So, as Tonje Folkestad climate change officer at the WWF Arctic Programme states: "Unless we act immediately to cut CO2 emissions, some parts of the Arctic will soon become unrecognisable."
The projections thus far for the Arctic are bleak and almost disheartening. And while many more environmental groups, individuals and organisations working to make a positive impact in the Artic there is little time with so much more that needs to be done. And while you contemplate which side of the climate change debate you belong to, take a moment to close your eyes and envision the Arctic whose fate is entwined to our own survival. A place where nature's beauty holds on stubbornly, awaiting for the world to stir from its slumber of comfort and face up to the reality of climate change by making responsible decisions today.
|
){kind=link}