| Vol. 7 | No. 2 | Spring 2005 |
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Dialogue
The news media recently reported on the consequences of global warming in the Arctic region. How will these changes affect people who live farther south? |
A study released late last year by a coalition of Arctic scientists and citizens groups, Impacts of a Warming Arctic, showed that climate changes in the Arctic appear to be happening more rapidly than in other areas of the world. These changes will have serious consequences both locally and worldwide.
For example, melting land ice in the Arctic would contribute to a global rise in sea level. Even a slight rise could be particularly devastating to low-lying coastal areas in Florida and Louisiana. What’s worse, coastal storms of the same intensity as in the past will create greater damage in the future because of the higher baseline sea level.
Arctic warming will also result in the thawing of permafrost and a corresponding increase in emissions of heat-trapping gases (released from decaying organic matter), as well as a decrease in the amount of solar radiation reflected by land and ocean surfaces covered with ice. These changes will cause more heat to remain in Earth’s atmosphere, further amplifying global warming.
This study serves as another warning that we must reduce the severity of climate change by reducing heat-trapping emissions from cars and power plants. To read a full summary of the Arctic report and learn more about climate change solutions available today, visit the Global Environment section of the UCS website at www.ucsusa.org/global_warming.
Also in this issue of Earthwise:
Close to Home
The Water-Wise Lawn
