The appearance of ‘blood snow’ in Antarctica may not be sinister. But it is another sign that the ice is melting

The sudden discovery of red-tinged ice around Ukraine’s Vernadsky Research Base might have puzzled any casual observer but it is nothing more than an appearance of a select species of algae that thrive in near-freezing zones. So those, who see the emergence of this ice as a sign from God or something like that, can rest easy. However, this can actually be seen as a sign from earth. While the particular algae thrives in near-freezing conditions, there is a certain amount of warmth that it needs to survive. This is why climate scientists are getting concerned. Is the appearance of the red-ice yet another sign from the earth that climatic conditions are getting ever warmer and that we might be slipping past a point of no return? Facts are clear, the pack ice in the Antarctic is melting, with swathes of glaciers larger than the State of Goa breaking off. There are fears about the long-term survivability of the Emperor penguin, the isolated continent’s most iconic creature. Up at the North Pole, the disappearance of the polar bear has already become a potent symbol of the rapidly declining sea ice in the Arctic. The last few years have seen record-breaking temperatures. Previous three Januaries have consecutively broken records for the warmest month ever. The wildfires in Australia devastated that part of the planet. Coral reefs are dying, salinity in groundwater near coastal areas is rising as sea levels slowly but surely keep on climbing. The climate apocalypse may not be upon us as yet but we are heading there in a runaway train. And unlike the movie, there are no heroes who can stop it because our politicians are jetting around the world to bicker about who sacrifices how much and who pays how much.

The human race has always risen up to such challenges in the past. We managed to send a man to another celestial object. We can now fly half-way around the world in a single hop. And we have successfully eliminated killer diseases such as smallpox. But currently, we have a critical problem and we must step up to the plate and solve it. Time is running out. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg is right: We cannot mess up the planet for future generations.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)

The appearance of ‘blood snow’ in Antarctica may not be sinister. But it is another sign that the ice is melting

The sudden discovery of red-tinged ice around Ukraine’s Vernadsky Research Base might have puzzled any casual observer but it is nothing more than an appearance of a select species of algae that thrive in near-freezing zones. So those, who see the emergence of this ice as a sign from God or something like that, can rest easy. However, this can actually be seen as a sign from earth. While the particular algae thrives in near-freezing conditions, there is a certain amount of warmth that it needs to survive. This is why climate scientists are getting concerned. Is the appearance of the red-ice yet another sign from the earth that climatic conditions are getting ever warmer and that we might be slipping past a point of no return? Facts are clear, the pack ice in the Antarctic is melting, with swathes of glaciers larger than the State of Goa breaking off. There are fears about the long-term survivability of the Emperor penguin, the isolated continent’s most iconic creature. Up at the North Pole, the disappearance of the polar bear has already become a potent symbol of the rapidly declining sea ice in the Arctic. The last few years have seen record-breaking temperatures. Previous three Januaries have consecutively broken records for the warmest month ever. The wildfires in Australia devastated that part of the planet. Coral reefs are dying, salinity in groundwater near coastal areas is rising as sea levels slowly but surely keep on climbing. The climate apocalypse may not be upon us as yet but we are heading there in a runaway train. And unlike the movie, there are no heroes who can stop it because our politicians are jetting around the world to bicker about who sacrifices how much and who pays how much.

The human race has always risen up to such challenges in the past. We managed to send a man to another celestial object. We can now fly half-way around the world in a single hop. And we have successfully eliminated killer diseases such as smallpox. But currently, we have a critical problem and we must step up to the plate and solve it. Time is running out. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg is right: We cannot mess up the planet for future generations.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)