A research paper by the Melbourne-based Breakthrough National Center for Climate Restoration (BNCCR) has revealed that many ecosystems including those in the Arctic, the Amazon rainforest and the coral reefs are likely to collapse by 2050. And sure enough, the signs are clearly visible for everyone to see. Satellite images prove that the “lungs of the Earth” aka the Amazon rainforests lost a massive 740 sq km of forest cover in a mere 30 days!
According to Forbes, on 13 June, 4 trillion pounds of Greenland’s glacial ice melted into the North Atlantic Ocean.
The island of Greenland is covered with snow throughout the year. In the summer season between June and August, some of it melts due to rising temperatures. But this year’s melt has started early due to a heat wave in the US and the magnitude is deeply concerning.
The Washington Post reports that the island’s temperature was 40 degrees above normal last week. Currently, the year 2012 is credited with the highest melting of the ice sheet but scientists are predicting that 2019 may surpass the previous record.
Rapid ice melt in #Greenland at the moment. This is 1 May–14 June 2019 as seen by the #MODIS on board the #NASA's #Aqua #satellite. Take a look yourself using #NASAWorldview at https://t.co/fbiDLMfLFq pic.twitter.com/WbY1BEXjkd
— Antti Lipponen (@anttilip) June 15, 2019
This photo by Arctic researcher Steffen Olsen showcasing meltwater on Greenland’s sea ice is going viral and has become a symbol for the extreme melting.
Arctic melt goes into overdrive across land and sea, including Greenland. https://t.co/viM8yvlLKT 📷 Steffen Olsen pic.twitter.com/TMScEXeKtP
— Andrew Freedman (@afreedma) June 14, 2019
He revealed that the photo of these sled dogs is significant because it depicts how climate change is affecting both people and animals in the area. Locals “rely on the sea ice for transport, hunting and fishing,” he was quoted saying.
CNN quoted Thomas Mote, a research scientist at the University of Georgia, saying,
“Greenland has been an increasing contributor to global sea level rise over the past two decades and surface melting and runoff is a large portion of that.”
The rising sea levels can have serious consequences all over the world. It is high time we take adequate steps to curb global warming and climate change, don’t you think?