Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:A definitive report this week confirms the loss of four trillion tonnes of ice from Greenland and Antarctica during the last twenty years. Dozens of scientists were involved in the research along with ten satellite missions and the results present an alarming picture of melting ice at the poles.
There has been some debate as to whether the Antarctic ice sheet has been losing or gaining ice and this study has confirmed that, overall, it has lost mass. Western Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula are losing twice as much ice as previously while Eastern Antarctica is gaining some ice. It has been definitely shown that both Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass and as the world’s temperature rises, more ice will be lost.
One of the greatest long term threats from climate change, and hence melting ice, is rising sea levels. This endangers low lying communities and increases the menace from hurricanes and typhoons.
All this information is available to our ‘greenest government ever’ but still we hear that our energy policy will include the burning of fossil fuels ad infinitum and even that the possibility of fracking for shale gas is becoming more of a probability. Burning shale gas is not a greener option as it emits the same amount of carbon dioxide as any other gas. Other countries, such as Germany, are looking forward to energy production without burning fossil fuels and are working towards that goal for the near future. How wonderful if we were to follow suit!
Victoria Nicholls. Transition Deal.
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