Brace for Even Hotter Delhi Summers as Arctic Ice Melts Rapidly

The faster Arctic ice melts, the faster global temperatures will rise, scientists say. 
Manon Verchot
Environment
Published:
The land of the polar bears is in peril – and we are too. (Photo: iStock)
The land of the polar bears is in peril – and we are too. (Photo: iStock)
ADVERTISEMENT

Every year, the signs that global warming is destroying our planet are becoming harder to ignore. This month alone, temperatures in the Arctic were 20 degrees Celsius above average, touching 1 degree Celsius instead of the normal -25 degrees.

These staggering temperatures are rapidly melting Arctic ice. And the faster ice melts, the faster the world will heat up.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Arctic ice plays a crucial role in keeping global temperatures from soaring to levels humans won’t be able to handle.

The white surface snow reflects the heat from sunlight back into space. Once the ice is gone, the oceans will soak up all that heat.

Over centuries, the ice has also trapped gases like methane, which speed up global warming faster than carbon dioxide. As the ice melts, these gases are released, where they do more damage to the atmosphere.

The disappearance of Arctic ice would have a snowball effect (pun intended) on an already warming world. In the next 20 years, we may all feel like we’re living in a toaster oven during Delhi summers.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Published: undefined

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL FOR NEXT