Future Status of the World Center - Essay Example

In this write-up, predictions on the future status of the world center on the phenomena of rapid glacier meltdown--its impact on humanity and the Earth as a whole.

          For the past millenniums, the Arctic Ocean had been viewed as a region pooling with glaciers; but in the last three decades, the shrinking of ice in the area increased from 2.8% to 11.1%, as “more ice (are) melting during summers and less new ice forming during summers” (Parks). This region is not the only one experiencing meltdown crises. In Northern America, famous ice peaks in Glacier National Park had dwindled from 150 glaciers to less than 30 structures (Glick 1). Such occurrences show that the meltdown is no longer a regional concern, but a probable global crisis.

In such trends, the status of the Earth may reach a point wherein after 25 years or more, land terrains may be moderately covered with seawater, pushing both man and animals to higher grounds for survival. Studies show that about 50 meters of seawater had been added to the Antarctic Peninsula in only half a decade (“Sea Level Rise”). As the temperature on the Earth’s surface continues to elevate, the Arctic and other regional glaciers may be lost in 70 years, filling up the world with water in those periods in time (“Habitat Loss”). In such a scenario, risks of partial land wipe-out may occur after 25 years, and increase during the next decades.

In effect of possible water deluges, land-based life forms are threatened with extinction. Predictably, shifts in glacier activity can affect “agriculture, drinking water supplies, coastlines, and ecological habitats” (Yohe). As seawater rises and encroaches on freshwater sources, the water supply for human consumption can be largely affected. Food sources can be destroyed, especially in areas near coastlines, where seawater saline disrupts the production and growth of crops (“Climate Change”). Hence, food and water needs are deprived by massive sea intrusion inland areas. Unfortunately, large ice meltdowns can also cause abrupt disasters on human lives and properties, as several scientists warned about the probability of “floods, landslides, or avalanches,” since glaciers can serve as stopping points for stored water high up in mountain areas (Yohe). Not only can melting ice change man’s pattern of living, but it can also be the source of their instant downfall.

          For the next 25 years, man should be vigilant in determining the true condition of climatic patterns and subsequent glacier meltdown, for it cannot only displace the land area where man and animals inhabit, but this can also seize their lives in the long run, either in a gradual or abrupt manner.