Ice-less North Pole

Polar scientists predict an ice-free North Pole this year. It seems unthinkable but in one of the gravest environmental news stories this year, it was reported in the Independent today that the Arctic ice is melting at such a rate that it could be open water at the North Pole this summer. Polar regions are experiencing dramatic temperature rises caused by global warming and scientists are concerned that increasing ice melts mean that the ocean will absorb more heat and raise temperatures still higher. Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University said, "Last year we saw huge areas of the ocean open up, which has never been experienced before. People are expecting this to continue this year and it is likely to extend over the North Pole. It is quite likely that the North Pole will be exposed this summer." Witness reports from Inuit people living near Boffin Bay between Canada and Greenland say that the sea ice is disappearing earlier this year and that unusual wide cracks are appearing in the ice. We can only hope that this news spurs governments and individuals to take green issues even more seriously. Although the time has passed for us being able to turn the tide of climate change, we need to think big and take some decisive action if we are to lessen the impact of global warming on our planet.