Yeah yeah, we have all heard about Climate Change!

The consequences of climate change, on the poles, is a topic which has been discussed extensively within academic literature (Thompson and Solomon, 2002; Oppenheimer, 1998), the news (BBC, 2015) and NGOs (WWF). The IPCC even designated its 15^th chapter to the topic. Due to the nature of the Poles, impacts of global warming are amplified in these regions. Conditions (such as the total amount of sea ice) are changing at an accelerated rate (in comparison to global averages) resulting in rising global temperatures, concentrations of atmospheric methane and sea levels.

Climate change is not the only threat to the Poles. Throughout the next few months I aim to explore the impacts of anthropogenic activity on the Polar Regions. Oil drilling and long range pollution are both issues which have not been debated so openly. The impacts of such threats may not be felt on such a large scale but will certainly push Polar ecosystems past a non-returnable threshold.

For example, The USGS has estimated the Arctic is sitting upon 10.4 billion barrels of oil. History has already shown the dangers of oil in Arctic environments. Over 20 years since the Exxon Valdez 1989 disaster, when a tanker ran aground in Alaska releasing almost 11 million gallons of crude oil. Evidence for the disaster is still apparent. Further research into this case has shown cold environments preserve oil particles for years, in some cases still remaining biologically toxic. This disaster has been raised recently as a reminder of the potential impacts of oil spills (the death of a quarter of a million sea creatures in this case) especially as drilling for natural resources (in the poles) becomes an ever pressing threat.

A single opinion (expressed by Greenpeace) has been stated in this post. We should protect the poles. However, this isn’t the only view point. Should we be drilling for oil in the Arctic? Are the greater impacts of climate change for which mitigation should be prioritised? There is always another side to every story. A loss will always result in another’s gain.

I will engage with (and hopefully draw conclusions on) the debates surrounding anthropogenic threats to the poles and hopefully complete the following aims 

1)      To introduce other threats, beside climate change caused by green house gases, to my readers.

2)      I want to present topics which may be very scientific to my readers in a way which everyone, from whatever academic background, can understand and engage with.

3)      Try and encourage people that these issues do matter and they should act to save the Polar Regions.

4)      To learn and teach other about something I have never personally learnt about throughout my geography studies.

Please feel free to argue, disagree or debate anything I cover by commenting.