The Arctic has been exceptionally warm in 2016, and this is the second year in a row that this trend has continued. While some people call global warming a hoax, scientists certainly agree that the planet is warming, and this can bring many negative consequences for the entire human race.
The lack of ice has been notable this year. Heavily populated areas and environs are increasingly at risk of extreme weather situations. In parts of the Russian Arctic, temperatures are more than 30 °C above average and in some other places it is 20 °C higher. The area covered by Arctic sea ice has significantly decreased since 1984. In the past 25 years, the sea ice which forms and melts each year has declined more than 30 per cent. The best proof of the theory of climate change is the fact that in the last 7 years there were many intense winters that hit parts of northern Europe and North America, and they caused massive damage in excess of billions of dollars. If this continues to happen, there is a great danger of superstorms, stronger than any previous ones in modern times.
Many people still do not quite believe that we are to blame for climate change, but the fact is that all of these changes are direct consequences of human behavior. Our activities have directly influenced the global warming that has taken place over the past 50 years. The burning of fossil fuels, agriculture, and land clearing are responsible for the increased volume of greenhouse gases, the most notorious one being carbon dioxide. There are predictions that in the next 100 years the average global temperature could increase more than 5 °C, and that the sea level could also significantly rise.
The Guardian has made a 360 video, where you can take a tour and explore the Arctic without any kind of destruction. One of the main reasons why it was possible to access this route is the fact that the Northwest Passage had an ice-free summer in 2016. One of the most disturbing facts is that even in the middle of winter, some parts of the Arctic have experienced ice-melting temperatures. Around 250bn tons of water per year come just from the melting of Greenland’s glaciers. This year’s results could lead to record low levels of sea ice at the North Pole next year.
Photo: Shutterstock
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