Jul 313 min read

Rising Temperatures on Polar Bears

Author: Elaine Guo

Editors: Hanni Yang, Hwi-On Lee

Artist: Acey Li

Global warming is defined as the rise in Earth’s temperature caused by the greenhouse effect, where a layer of Earth’s atmosphere traps heat. The greenhouse effect involves gases like carbon dioxide and methane, with carbon dioxide being the most abundant and responsible for trapping most of the heat. The burning of coal, fossil fuels, and oil releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making it difficult for the extra heat to leave Earth by thickening the troposphere, which increasingly warms the atmosphere at a dangerous rate. With a thick troposphere, heat struggles to leave Earth and remains in the atmosphere, affecting our climate. This temperature rise originally began after the Industrial Revolution when industries formed and a mass burning of fossil fuel took place. It has since had long-term environmental effects that continue to affect the climate in various ways today.

Temperatures are increasing faster than in previous decades, at a rate of 0.2 degrees Celsius globally and 0.75 degrees Celsius in the Arctic per decade. Rising temperatures have been observed in locations where sea ice has markedly melted, indicating that much of the Earth’s glaciers are melting and causing sea levels to rise. Rising sea levels can make certain parts of land unlivable for other organisms and plants. Animals that live in the Arctic are especially affected, as they rely on ice as their habitat. Without it, they won’t have anywhere to live. Arctic animals are best adapted to cold temperatures, so the constant rise in temperature makes it much more difficult for them to survive. With these constant environmental changes, they will only continue struggling to live.

Polar bears have been especially affected by this sudden and extreme climate change. There are 19 key regions where polar bears live, all experiencing ice loss for decades. Sea ice is essential for their survival, as they need it for resting, mating, and hunting. As the ice melts, these bears find it harder to hunt, mate, and breed. Offspring production decreases as they focus more on survival rather than reproduction. It will be harder for them to survive, and their population size will decrease. Without sea ice, polar bears cannot live. This temperature rise could make polar bears go extinct, harming the environment's biodiversity and affecting other animals' niches. If we continue to do nothing, it will lead to the extinction of Arctic animals, harming both humans and the ecosystem.

Scientists have been developing solutions to reduce the rate of global warming. Fossil fuel and coal are finite resources and nonrenewable resources. That means there is a limited supply, so we need to conserve them to stay supplied and protect the environment. As a result, scientists have developed renewable energy to replace these finite resources. Solar panels and wind turbines have been used for a long time, and you can see solar panels on top of houses and wind turbines worldwide. These technologies can help replace nonrenewable energy sources in the long run. Since the cost is high, we are gradually converting to these new forms of energy.

Producers such as trees, flowers, and bushes are the only organisms that can take carbon dioxide from the environment and turn it into oxygen through photosynthesis. They help replenish the air with oxygen by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These producers benefit both human needs and environmental health. We need more producers to help eliminate the greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere, but deforestation harms the environment to satisfy human needs. A sudden stop in deforestation would be impossible, but with fewer forests, there is less photosynthesis occurring. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases continue to increase and trap heat. We have destroyed our environment for our architectural satisfaction and desires, so it is our responsibility to restore it.

Citations:

Brief, Carbon. “Polar Bears and Climate Change: What Does the Science Say?” World

Economic Forum, 15 Dec. 2022, www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/polar-bears-and-

climate-change-what-does-the-science-say/.

Fountain, Henry. “Arctic Warming Is Happening Faster than Described, Analysis Shows.”

The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2022,

www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/climate/arctic-global-warming.html.

Gramling, Carolyn. “The Arctic Is Warming Even Faster than Scientists Realized.” Science

News, 11 Aug. 2022, www.sciencenews.org/article/arctic-warming-faster-earth-climate-

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