Matej S.

Water Washing Us Away
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/07/global.warming/index.html?ire
http://www.nwf.org/wildlifeandglobalwarming/quilt.cfm?action=next&page=2&nextStartID=3980

Climate change in our world is affecting a lot of the biodiversity on the Earth. The “sudden” increase in temperature everywhere has ruined the lives of many animals, including humans. The main example of this theory of climate change affecting animals is the polar bear. The Polar Bear, the Icon of Global Warming in the Arctic now, has had their natural ice habitats start to melt away, and they are now struggling and dying in large numbers from drowning in the icy depths of the arctic or starving because they cannot reach their food sources. Many people believed that polar bears were known for their swimming and amazing skill to catch underwater prey, but their skills of swimming have been put to the test. Every traveling ice block splits in half from their weight, the ice is melting, and the bears have to continuously swim to find a sustainable glacier they can rest on until that breaks. They can’t swim forever and soon they drown unable to rest.

This climate change is affecting the habitats of other animals as well. For example, coral reefs are slowly being destroyed as well as other sea dwelling animals. The slight increase of one Celsius harms 16% of coral reefs. The temperature increase causes erosion and vulnerability against natural happenings. The warm temperatures have also started to affect the arctic fox. The warm weather is forcing them to go farther and farther north for colder weather for survival.

We are being affected by our own emission of carbon dioxide. Since there is such an increase in temperature, more fresh water is evaporating at a faster pace, and the glaciers of the frozen Arctic and Antarctic are melting, raising the water levels around the world. Recent studies like the one discussed in the CNN article show this is happening much faster than scientists thought it would!
Places like New Orleans and areas of Texas and Florida, any coastal low elevation area, will surely have water washing into towns and cities What happen then you ask? The leader of the Maldives is so concerned about this that he is trying to move his nation before the islands are flooded. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/10/maldives-climate-change) Then if we are unable to do anything about global warming, we will all be washed under, like little helpless seashells being pulled into the vast ocean, never to be seen again. Imagine that huh? Just a disappearing person caught under the water. We might just end up like “Waterworld” for those who have seen the movie. I personally would like to live on land.

The only way we can keep ourselves on land is by working together to help reduce these greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. We must become more efficient and knowledgeable people if we are to survive instead of being washed away. We can’t turn back the clock on what has already happened, but we can help prevent what might happen in the future.