A record loss of sea ice in the Arctic this summer has convinced scientists that the northern hemisphere may have crossed a critical threshold beyond which the climate may never recover. Scientists fear that the Arctic has now entered an irreversible phase of warming which will accelerate the loss of the polar sea ice that has helped to keep the climate stable for thousands of years.
Doh.
Seriously: Have you ever heard scientists come out and say, "It's too late to fix it," and "There's nothing we can do," when referring to the environment? It would be nice if the article could find some other scientists to say, "Oh, no worries! Their study is all bunkum!"
I did a study in college for a public speaking course (of all things) about what the earth would look like if all the polar ice caps melted. Apparently ocean levels would rise about 30 feet.
That's a whole bunch of Florida.
That's about 50% of the island of Manhattan.
A good part of: Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC on the East Coast. New Orleans, Houston on the Gulf Coast, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Oakland on the West Coast.
Well cheer up! We have until 2070... although the scientists do say that is just a taaaad bit optimistic.
Current computer models suggest that the Arctic will be entirely ice-free during summer by the year 2070 but some scientists now believe that even this dire prediction may be over-optimistic, said Professor Peter Wadhams, an Arctic ice specialist at Cambridge University.
Personally, tacking on 30 feet of water to the oceans and flooding the earth is only moderately scary. What I'm wondering is if without all that ice to keep us cool, will the earth overheat, and turn into a fiery cinder in a few centuries?
Bah... I'm sure we'll be fine 200 years from now... or at least I know I will be.
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