The challenge is increasing temperature and changing atmospheric patterns
The challenge is increasing temperature and changing atmospheric patterns.
Climate action must be decisive to prevent dangerous declines in global sea ice. Adaptive policies and improved polar monitoring will increase climate resilience. A sustainable future depends on everyone's determination to reduce emissions and protect the planet's fragile cryosphere. Many communities lack preparedness to deal with the threats of climate change. Investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand future climate risks is vital for communities. All members of our society, including teachers, risk communicators, emergency managers, and city planners, should receive environmental education about this. Through environmental education, anyone can learn how to prepare for climate change.
■ Priyanka Saurabh
An important factor controlling the Earth's climate is the amount of sea ice floating in the polar regions. However, due to changing atmospheric patterns and rising temperatures, this has declined to a record low of 15-76 million square kilometres. Global temperatures are rising, ocean currents are becoming turbulent, and extreme weather events are becoming worse as a result of this decline. Extreme weather events around the world are being affected by changes in the Earth's climate. The frequency and intensity of devastating wildfires, years-long droughts, heavy rainfall, severe flooding, record-breaking heat waves on land and at sea, and widespread flooding during storms are all increasing.
Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have caused a rapid increase in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. Methane, carbon dioxide, and other gases act like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the Earth as their concentrations increase. As a result, the air and oceans on Earth become warmer. Ice on land melts, weather patterns change, and the water cycle is affected by this temperature rise, making extreme weather conditions worse. Climate change affects our society in many ways. Droughts can affect human health and food production. Floods can damage infrastructure and ecosystems and spread disease. In addition to changing food availability and limiting worker productivity, human health problems caused by droughts, floods and other weather events also increase mortality.
The physical infrastructure of our transportation and communication systems includes roads, bridges, ports, electric grids, broadband internet and other components. It is often designed to last for many years. Therefore, the infrastructure in most communities was built without considering climate change. Current infrastructure may not be able to handle severe weather conditions such as wind, snow, flooding, heavy rain or temperature fluctuations. The impacts of these events can take many different forms. For example, higher temperatures cause indoor cooling needs, which can put pressure on the energy grid. Flooding caused by unexpectedly excessive rainfall that exceeds stormwater drainage capacity can close major routes, businesses and highways. Coastal infrastructure, such as water supplies, roads, bridges and more, are at risk due to sea level rise. Since much of the population lives in coastal areas, millions of people will be affected by the risks. In addition, sea level rise can lead to coastal erosion and flooding due to high tides. Research suggests that some communities will reach or be at sea level by the year 2100. Now it will be up to them to decide what to do.
During a process called managed retreat, communities will likely move away from the shoreline and make changes to their infrastructure. Ocean heat transport is primarily responsible for the global decline in sea ice. When warm ocean currents enter the polar regions, sea ice melts faster at the base. Warmer water is brought into the Arctic by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which reduces the stability of the ice. These climate patterns affect oceanic and atmospheric conditions as well as the rate of ice formation and melting. The 2015-2016 El Niño event increased ocean temperatures and reduced Antarctica's sea ice to record lows. Large volcanic eruptions release aerosols, which have the potential to temporarily cool the atmosphere, but they can also be a contributing factor to warming oceans in the long term. The 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption released water vapor into the stratosphere, potentially increasing the warming effect over time. More powerful storms cause fragile sea ice to break up, making it more likely to melt and be affected by ocean currents. Storms in the Barents and Bering Seas will cause ice to break up in 2024, resulting in record lows of Arctic sea ice cover. Methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere, raising global temperatures and accelerating polar ice melt.
Arctic sea ice has been declining at a rate of 12–2% per decade since 1981, due to the dramatic increase in carbon dioxide levels caused by the Industrial Revolution. Ocean acidification and atmospheric temperature rise are caused by pollutants released from the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Arctic amplification is the process whereby the Arctic warms up to four times faster than the global average due to heat-absorbing emissions from industrial activities. When forests are destroyed, less carbon is absorbed and when cities grow, more heat is retained, which affects atmospheric circulation. Sea ice degradation and global warming are indirectly caused by deforestation in the Amazon, which reduces carbon absorption. Drilling and increasing marine activities in the Arctic region disrupt the sea ice ecosystem and generate pollution and heat, which contribute to local temperature rise. The rapid migratory activity in the Arctic region following the discovery of natural resources in the region has further reinforced this mechanism, resulting in greater loss of polar ice.
As sea ice on Earth decreases, oceans absorb more heat, which reduces albedo, or reflectivity, and warms even more. Climate change is accelerated by the Arctic's declining albedo effect, causing polar regions to warm twice as fast as the rest of the world. Freshwater released from melting ice reduces salinity and slows deep-ocean circulation, which has an impact on climate regulation. A weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is likely to alter weather patterns in the Indian Ocean region, Europe, and North America. Indirectly, melting sea ice speeds up the melting of land-based ice sheets, raising sea levels worldwide. When all the ice melts, the Greenland ice sheet will raise sea levels by about 23 feet. Temperature changes are increasing storms, droughts, and heat waves, affecting atmospheric circulation. The jet stream is affected by melting Arctic ice, leading to longer heat waves across North America and Europe. Melting sea ice disrupts food chains, endangering fisheries and marine life that depend on cold-water habitats. Entire ecosystems are affected, as krill populations in Antarctica decline and polar bears and seals lose their hunting grounds. Climate action must be decisive to prevent dangerous declines in global sea ice. Ice loss can be reduced by strengthening global climate pledges such as the Polar Code, promoting the clean energy transition, and funding geoengineering initiatives. Adaptive policies and improved polar monitoring will increase climate resilience. A sustainable future depends on everyone’s determination to reduce emissions and protect the planet’s fragile cryosphere. Many communities lack preparation to deal with the threats of climate change.
Scientists are researching how communities are affected by climate change now and in the future, and can suggest best practices. Investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand future climate risks is important for communities. All members of our society, including teachers, risk communicators, emergency managers, and city planners, should receive environmental education about this. Through environmental education, anyone can learn how to prepare for climate change.
