Importance of the Arctic

Many must be wondering why would I go to the Arctic, why is it so important in combating climate change?

From the research that I have done, I noted that as far as the Arctic may seem, it affects our daily lives in regulating global temperatures.

I’m sure you may have noticed the drastic change in weather patterns from what we experienced a few years ago. A typical example is the level of droughts we have had which affects our agricultural sector and further increases the cost of food. The increasing harsh heatwaves from last summer, The Tembisa disaster we experienced, now South Africa is not used to such harsh weather and disasters and nor are we fully prepared to deal with such situations when they occur… I mean in terms of educating our people and making sure we’re ready… Not that anyone can ever be fully ready for such.

The Arctic has been called “the world’s refrigerator by scientists and one reason is the role of sea ice in regulating global climate. Sea ice reflects light into space , whereas the dark Arctic Ocean absorbs light. As sea ice melts, more of the Arctic Ocean is exposed, meaning more sunlight is absorbed. This causes more warming, which in turn causes more sea ice to melt and continues the process.

Another issue in the Arctic is melting permafrost. Permafrost is ground that is literally frozen solid, and it can be found throughout the Arctic land environment as well as the seabed below shallow parts of the Arctic Ocean. As temperatures rise, permafrost melts, releasing trapped methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, so as the permafrost melts and releases methane into the atmosphere, warming is exacerbated which in turn causes more permafrost to melt.

As sea ice loss and melting permafrost create further global warming, the Arctic meltdown has grave consequences for the entire planet.

The question is how do we stop or slow down the rate of the melting ice and permafrost? Truth is, I do not know but I’m trying to learn just as much as you are.

It’s also important to note that this has worsening for decades and while it may seem irreparable, we as the planet need to change our ways to help fight this.

Our generation and those before us did the damage through so many things and we contributed as well to the current state. I believe that we are both the problem and the solution. We must own our part and find ways to fix the problem for future generations.