According to the New York Times Article, “ Climate Model Predicts West Antarctic Ice Sheet Could Melt Rapidly ” by Justin Gillis, new research states that human civilization could be at risk in the following century. This is a direct result of the continued use of fumes and emissions that are trapping heat and rapidly melting the West Antarctic ice sheet. Climate scientists originally claimed the effects of global warming on Earth’s ice caps wouldn’t take a major toll on humanity for hundreds if not thousands of years. However, on Wednesday March 30th, new evidence suggests a rise in the sea level by 5 to 6 feet by 2100, and 12 feet or more (depending on if the ice separates) in the years following.
It is estimated that the seas level would increase at a pace of one foot per decade by the mid 22nd century. Although nothing is certain, the long term effects could be detrimental to millions, if not billions, of people worldwide. If such a catastrophe were to occur, our most beloved coast line cities like Miami, Washington D.C., London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Boston, New Orleans and New York City (to name a few) would become lost empires, much like the mythical story of Atlantis. The only difference is, this would be no myth.
The question we are left with is, what do we do to save our future generations (your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and so forth)? In scientific terms, we must bring emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses to a stable and controllable level. According to the Washington Post Article, “Can we stop the seas from rising? Yes, but less than you think” by Brad Plumer, although stabilizing the development of greenhouse gases would slow the rate at which the sea level rises, it is ultimately unlikely that we could prevent it all together. This is the result of our planets natural cycle of climate change, or the long term change in the earth’s climate due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature.
On the flip side, 35 percent of Americans believe that there is no evidence to support scientists’ claims of man made global warming, and an additional 18 percent believe the climate change we are experiencing is only related to the earth’s natural warming patterns, according to Michael Bastasch, a writer for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In an era in which technological advancements and efficiency in productivity are more important than our sustainable climate, we are forced to reevaluate what is more essential to human survival. And although the answer is clear, people choose recreation over basic necessities. A sad but true statement that we can all be held responsible for. Therefore, although the statement, “reduce, reuse, and recycle” may sound too cliché in our modern society, remember if we all take a small initiative to save our environment, we can be the the generation to make the inevitable slightly less terrifying for the generations to come.
“If we go on using the Earth uncaringly and without replenishing it, then we are just greedy consumers.” - Satish Kumar
Visit http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map to use the Rising Seas interactive map.
