What should we aa citizens do WHEN the Polar Ice Caps melt??

Question

What can we do besides go to higher land??
PLEASE NO RUDE ANSWERS!

Sorry, typo I meant to say as citizens.

Answer 1

No. Winter is here. The ice is gaining again. Currently the ice is growing at the rate of 5,000 square miles a day.

The ice melts in the summer and grows every winter. This is the natural cycle that happens each and every year.

Answer 2

The Arctic ice cap is floating and so it is effectively already a part of the seas and oceans. If it were to melt completley there would be no effect on sea levels (the mass of ice is already displacing an equal mass of water).

The ice that's melting elsewhere, including Antarctica, isn't floating, as it melts it adds to the volume of water in the seas and oceans and contributes to the rising sea levels. At present the melting of ice is causing the seas and oceans to rise by an average of 1.5mm a year, the warming of the oceans is causing thermal expansion and this is adding a further 1.6mm annual rise.

As more ice melts and the oceans warm more rapidly the rate of sea level rises is increasing. By 2050 it's expected to be double the current rate and by the end of the century it's expected to quadruple. In terms of what this will do to sea levels it means a rise in the next 100 years in the order of 750mm.

It's not so much the rise in sea levels that's the problem as this is very slow and progressive and thus allows people time to move or protect themselves. The greatest threat comes from storm surges and freak waves. Simply building a wall 750mm high (for example) isn't going to be effective against a sotrm surge of 2500mm.

The cost of defending land against increased erosion and water inundation is prohibitively expensive, it's not simply a case of building a wall (rising sea levels would undermine the wall and it would collapse). Sea defences are complex and expensive so for many people the only viable option would be to move to higher land.

Coastal towns and cities could be protected to some extent although even the best defences are vulnerable as we've seen on several occasions around the world. Man's attempts at controlling nature have neen woefully inadequate in the past and in many places the current line of thinking is to not compete with nature - it's easier for us to adapt rather than to try to change nature.

Answer 3

For those who will be facing that problem-hopefully there will be a few ans. by then. As of yet, higher ground is the option but that will be in very short supply. We are too many & the higher ground too few.
Those that own that higher ground, individuals or countries, will have a lot to say about who gets to be part of their safer haven.
The higher ground is also not noted for supporting large amounts of crops. Many issues to consider & little space to put them on.

Answer 4

I hope we do not get to that point!
but if it comes to that, there will be mass chaos around the world where there a major cities near the ocean. People will have to move more inland, this could also impact the sea life, as polar ice is fresh water and this will change the salt balance in the ocean, it could even kill off major supplies of fish we depend on surviving today.

Answer 5

The current melting of the northern ice caps will not have any affect on the water depth of the globe. The northern glaciers in greenland, as well as the southern icecap, will have an affect on the water level when and if they melt. According to some sources, the southern ice caps are actually growing in size, but I can neither confirm or deny these allegations.

Answer 6

When there are no mor Polar Ice Caps I think we will be dead soon anyway, because the ocean levels will rise, there will be more catastrophes, sickness etc.
I did a lot of research and I put 53 videos in youtube (news, documentals - one of them is in english from HBO - very intersting.) Check them out sometime:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Cancunhans&p=r

Answer 7

We'll all be drastically changing our lifestyles to reduce greenhouse gases dramatically. To stop making it worse.

Yes, people will be relocated. We'll have to also deal with the loss of stuff from flooding. And completely redo agriculture and irrigation systems.

The expense will drive the developed world into an economic depression that will make the 30s look like good times.

We'll be the lucky ones. In places like Bangladesh there will be large food shortages. Maybe the rich countries will help, but more likely they'll be dealing with their own problems.

Details here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL052735320070407
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM6avr07.pdf

We can, of course, reduce global warming now enough to avoid all that. Here's a practical and affordable plan to do that. It was developed by hundreds of scientists and economists working together:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,481085,00.html
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM040507.pdf

Answer 8

when is it going to occur?

have the "experts" predicted that one too?
lemme guess,

the next 100 years.


yet 30 years ago, we were told that we'd see massive glaciers moving down the north american continent if we didn't "act now".

i guess we did, because they aren't coming.

we've done enough of the same "acting now" to stop all the ice from melting too.

Answer 9

Hold our breath until we die.
I notice your use of capital letters in WHEN.
So I guess you're one of the "The Debate Is Over!" people.

Answer 10

Look to move to higher ground ?