Climate change has destabilized the Earth’s poles, putting the planet in peril

December 14, 2021 ☼ climatepoles

Source: The Washington Post - Link

In research presented this week at the world’s biggest earth science conference, Pettit showed that the Thwaites ice shelf could collapse within the next three to five years, unleashing a river of ice that could dramatically raise sea levels. Aerial surveys document how warmer conditions have allowed beavers to invade the Arctic tundra, flooding the landscape with their dams. Large commercial ships are increasingly infiltrating formerly-frozen areas, disturbing wildlife and generating disastrous amounts of trash. In many Alaska Native communities, climate impacts compounded the hardships of the covid-19 pandemic, leading to food shortages among people who have lived off this land for thousands of years.

This is going to destabilize economies around the world.