On Thin Ice: Arctic Animals Losing their Home
The author is a Sophomore at New Albany High School. This story first appeared in NAHS’s "The Blotter” on March 14, 2025.
Forty-two thousand and one hundred, that’s how many species are at risk for extinction because of climate change, according to Iberdrola.
If we, as a whole, don’t start to decrease the amount of carbon emissions we release, we will continue to be the greatest factor causing harm to the earth. Scientists correctly predicted that we would see a great loss of sea ice due to climate change. There has been a loss of 77,800 square km of sea ice per year since the late 1970s, according to NASA. This has caused a rise in sea levels and Arctic animals have lost much of their home from this.
By now many people have heard about how the polar bears have begun to lose their land. Most of us have seen the infamous picture of a polar bear standing on a small block of ice. The loss of ice causes the bears to face longer fasting periods because they’re struggling to hunt, according to Arctic Ice Project. Polar bears are even facing new diseases. With less ice, they are being introduced to diseases that are normally rare in the Arctic.
Photo by Pixabay, courtesy of Pexels.com
Whale species like the beluga and bowhead’s migration patterns have been disrupted by the loss of ice. Their times of migration have changed and they may run into predators. While it may not seem like much, this would disrupt other aspects of the environment besides just whales.
Another species affected is the walrus. When an adult walrus dives into the sea, their calves are left on sea ice for safety. Less ice habitat has forced great numbers of walrus to rest on the shores instead. This makes them susceptible to predators, human disruptions, and more, according to WWF.
While the damage done is fairly far along, we can still try to help stop it. Reducing carbon emissions is something that would not only help the Arctic but also the Earth as a whole. Burning fewer fossil fuels has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Climate activists everywhere have stressed how important it is that we stop the burning of fossil fuels. If not, climate change and air pollution will worsen.
Recycling whenever possible was shown to save more than 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, according to the EPA. Scientists suggest, however, that reusing and being more mindful when making a purchase is more effective. If carbon emissions were reduced everywhere, climate change would slow down, sea levels would stop rising at fast paces, and there’d be a more stable global climate. Since most things causing harm to the environment are human activities, it’s left to us to help our Earth and cut down on them.
Graphic courtesy of “The Blotter”
