Environmental News

You may or may not be aware that I am the environmental czar for my company's St. Louis office. Here is a copy of the email I sent out in that capacity today:

As you probably know, polar ice caps play a very significant role in models and simulations relating to the effects of global climate change. Ice on the earth’s surface helps the planet reflect solar heat instead of absorb it, the same way wearing a white t-shirt keeps you cool in the summer time. Additionally, this melting changes the salinity of our oceans. The effects of this have been linked to global weather patterns and are thought to contribute to extreme weather conditions, such as the intensity of hurricanes. And all of this is in addition to the fact that melting ice caps mean sea levels rise, resulting in potential catastrophes for coastal cities near sea level.

It is imperative, then, that we take note of any reasonable evidence available regarding changes in the polar ice caps.

The tribulations of polar bears are now well documented, with the United States formally listed the species as threatened in May 2008. Their habitats are in peril, and their food supply shrinking. Today, however, has brought the strongest warning yet, as CNN reports that more and more polar bears are resorting to cannibalism to survive. For many, the endangerment of any species is sufficient cause for concern and action. Even those who don’t place a priority on polar bears have cause for concern, however, as the elimination of a major species, particularly a predator at the top of its food chain, has unpredictable effects on the larger ecosystem around them.

What we must take away from this, however, is that the desperation inherent in a major species’ shift toward cannibalism is indicative of much larger problems. The rate at which the ice caps are melting is now more serious than in many previous scenarios and should resonate as a call for action on the issue of climate change. In the coming weeks the Green Team here will be ratcheting up its efforts to help the office go green and increase awareness of actions we can take to be better stewards of our environment. Please continue the things we’ve already started and keep on generating ideas so that we can combat this problem as swiftly and strongly as possible, so that we can prevent this crisis.