Climate concepts and applications

¶ … climate change in the Polar Regions and what climate change means to the future of these areas. The Arctic and Antarctic regions of the Earth are already showing severe signs of climate change. As more of the snow and ice melts in these areas, they are reacting much more quickly to global warming. That is because the snow and ice reflect the suns rays and keep the temperatures from rising. However, as more land is exposed by melting snow and ice, the earth adsorbs the sun's rays and then warms up, making the snow and ice melt even faster. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes, "Average temperatures in the Arctic have risen at almost twice the rate as temperatures in the rest of the world over the past few decades" (Editors). They also note that the Arctic is expected to show greater rates of warming than anywhere else on Earth. As the sea ice disappears, animals dependent on it, such as polar bears and sea lions, could see drastic reductions in their populations, and entire cities and towns could be lost as the ground becomes unstable as ice continues to melt.

Many people still do not take climate change seriously, and that is part of the problem in finding a solution. Perhaps if more of what is going on in the Polar Regions really became public knowledge, the people would truly see that climate change is already happening, and affecting the lives and livelihoods of many people. Many of the Native Americans in the Arctic survive on the animals that live there, and if the bears and seals disappear, they will have no way to sustain themselves. There have been some reports and publicity about the polar bears and their plight, but the Native Americans have not made nearly enough information available about what is happening to them and their villages. More people should be made aware, so they can see the very real effects of global warming, and see to expect much worse in the future.