Global Warming

Where to start? There are so many areas on this planet that require attention. So...having to make a choice - I decided on global warming.

Global warming has been raising his ugly head for many years now. Unfortunately, many have refused to see it because it didn't mix with their bottom line -- the earning and hoarding of money. We are now reaping the rewards of such thinking.

Recently, three disasters have begun to occur in our many ice shelves world-wide. There is a crack in the ice shelf of the Antarctic, an Argentenian glacier is beginning a rare winter rupture and; in China, there is a glacier melting in the Tian Mountain Range.

Here's more on each:

Crack in the ice shelf of the Antarctic:

160 square miles of the Wilkins ice shelf has broken away from the Antarctic peninsula. This threatens a collapse of the much larger ice shelf behind it. This has shocked scientists who in 1993 predicted the collapse of the ice shelf within 30 years. However, this would appear to be too early.

Elsewhere on the peninsula, peripheral ice shelves have broken away allowing the inland ice to move towards the sea. This could cause rising sea levels.

In a catastrophe in the making, six other ice shelves have already been totally lost. They are the Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and Jones shelves. Since the Wilkins ice shelf is farther south and should be more protected by colder temperatures.

Argentenian glacier:

This Argentenian glacier named "Perito Moreno" acts a dam between the two halves of Lake Argentenia. The 60 metre tall glacier breaks apart every year; however, it does so in annual summer cycles. This winter it began a rare winter rupture - not seen since 1917.

Melting glacier in China

The "Urumqi No. 1" glacier is melting at the rate of 10 metres a year. This glacier supplies the drinking water for the 2 million people in the city of Arunci below the glacier. Not only is the glacier shrinking (since 1962, it has lost more than 20% of its volume); but, the glaciers are becoming black with some of the greenhouse emissions from the city downstream.

If the Urumqi No. 1 glacier melts, it will have consequences that go far beyond the 2 million people downstream.