Global warming effects on permafrost and polar ice melt from
decreasing albedo or the amount reflected sunlight from the
earth will severely impact Arctic and Antarctic marine life,
such as polar bears and penguins, who depend on polar ice for
their migration and survival. Polar marine species will become
endangered as their environments become uninhabitable for
them. With the current rate of glacial and polar cap melting,
we can predict with certainty that many of these species may
become extinct within the next 50-100 years if carbon
continues to be released unabated into the atmosphere
(Djoghlaf, 2008, p. 14-16; Kennedy, Twilley, Kleypas, Cowan,
Hare, 2002)
With all of the scientific evidence showing human impact on
climate change, we must find ways to reduce our carbon
footprint now. The acidification of our oceans and the melting
of polar ice are progressing at a rapid pace with no time to wait
to find out what the results are going to be in 25-30 years,
because we don’t have time before irrevocable damage to our
ecosystem creates an uninhabitable planet for the survival of
all species. We need to take action now by reducing carbon and
methane emissions to levels that will slow the rate of climate
change to ensure a habitable planet for all life in the next 50