As a result of global warming, Antarctic sea ice has reached an all-time record low.
The most recent proof that the climate of the Earth is shifting at a startlingly rapid pace comes from the Antarctic Ocean, where the amount of ice that has melted to a record low is also a record low. In the past ten years, there has been a staggering 18.7 percentage point reduction in the size of the polar ice cap, which spans 7.72 million square miles of ocean.
This is a worrisome turn of events because the ice serves as the planet's air conditioner by maintaining low temperatures and reflecting roughly 80 percent of the heat that the sun generates away from the surface of the Earth. Without the ice, the temperature of the earth would climb to an unsafe level, which would in turn cause extreme weather conditions and an increase in sea level.
In addition to the effects of climate change, the melting ice can also be attributed in part to human activity. For instance, the expansion of shipping routes has resulted in the creation of more open waterways, which enables these waters to take in more sunshine and so accelerates the melting process.
Concerns have been voiced within the scientific community, and governments all around the world are starting to take action in response. For instance, just recently, the United States became a party to the Paris Accord, whereby it pledged to work towards the goal of lowering global emissions and developing strategies to make the world's energy systems more efficient.
In spite of these efforts, the ice is still melting at an alarming rate, and it is abundantly evident that a great deal more has to be done. We must continue to find new ways to protect our planet and assure a safe future for future generations while simultaneously lowering the amount of emissions we produce.
