Threatened Arctic species could find shelter in “The Last Ice Area”

The climate has been facing changes in the past century, which have increased in the last 50 years. One of the largest issues that has emerged as a consequence is the warming of our planet. 

As a result of increased temperatures, summer sea ice usually found in the Arctic has been shrinking at an alarming rate. The area that the ice occupied in the 1980s is now just half of what it was then. These regions are home to ice-dependent species such as polar bears and even tiny microbes, and with their habitat shrinking, they are at risk.

However, one region that survives in the summer despite global warming is a region in the Arctic called the Last Ice Area. Conservationists hope that this region can serve as a safe haven for species put at risk as climate change persists. 

A computer model predicts that the Last Ice Area region can retain its summer sea ice indefinitely as long as the temperature of the planet does not increase more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, studies have predicted that the climate will warm 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century with current goals for reducing emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions drive climate change and the rise in the planet’s temperatures. Some of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are electricity and heat production, industry, transportation, and agriculture. The burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat are the activities contributing the most greenhouse gases to the climate. 

In order to reduce these emissions, a switch to cleaner, renewable energies is necessary. Ultimately, if we want to see the same ecosystems and wildlife in the future, more drastic change needs to be taken in order to reduce the rate the climate is changing. Otherwise, even rare refuges like the Last Ice Area will be put at risk, and the species that rely on them will have nowhere to turn.

~ Ryan Mark `25