There are many consequences of human activity – the pollution of our oceans, rivers and the atmosphere, destruction of ecologies and animal habitats leading to extinction and more. All of this is undeniable and we can see evidence of it all around us. Then there is climate change which many deny is happening at all – either because it is politically and economically expedient or because they don’t get the difference between ‘weather’ and ‘climate’. What If All The Ice Melted On Earth is a viral that paints a rather terrifying future for the earth.
Rising ocean levels is one disastrous consequence of climate change and this viral video tells us about some of the possible consequences of it. Mean temperatures are rising all over the world, polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate.
Though many blithely dismiss it as normal, phenomenon such as ice in Greenland melting is not normal. In recent years we have seen the lowest ever recorded levels of Arctic ice according to NASA.
Much of the Arctic consists of floating ice. If these melt, ships may be able to sail right across the North Pole. This means that some of the habitats of many animals such as polar bears and seals simply melt away into nonexistence. They will literally have nowhere to live.
One of the activities that directly impacts the ocean and the creatures in it, is seismic blasting. Corporations use this to search for oil and other untapped natural resources, which can cause damage to the ocean floor and result in habitat relocation and trauma to marine life.
However, floating ice is not as big a problem as the land-based ice. If that ice melts, we are in real trouble. Sea levels could rise as much as 70 metres! This would mean that most of the big coastal cities would be completely submerged.
If sea levels rise by just a couple of feet, this would mean the inundation of cities such as Mumbai, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, New York and many others. The possible losses from the damage, the number of people displaced – would run into trillions.
As more ice melts, less sunlight is reflected back and more is absorbed by the earth – leading to further heating of the earth. So much fresh water running into the oceans could also mess up existing ocean currents causing further havoc to marine life, trade and commerce.
Some Inuit communities are protesting against countries and corporations trying to exploit arctic resources for their commercial profit. They stand to actually lose their way of life. If that seems a faraway consequence, watch this video to know how much closer the consequences are to our own homes – wherever on earth we may be. If all the ice melted on earth, we would all be drowning – figuratively and literally.
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