Less Ice - a letter to the Bracknell Standard

I note your correspondent in the Bracknell Standard of 13 November claims that data published by the University of Illinois shows that global warming is contrived.

I have looked at the website he gave and have not found what he claims. For example the website has a heading that your correspondent seems to have missed: "Recent dramatic loss of multi year sea ice."

The figures from 2007 and 2008 show why world scientists and the UN are so concerned. Then the Arctic ice cap was 36% and 33% less in area than the average figure for the years 1979 to 2006. (It is this earlier period covered by much of the Illinois website.)

May I point out that many miilions of temperature readings have been taken to show that there has been a worrying rise in atmospheric temperature all over the world in the last 100 years. The scientists are only stating what we all know.

In Antarctica the Larsen B ice shelf had a larger area than Somerset. During autumn 2002, it all totally melted. This has exposed all the glaciers behind it to the warmer sea. If all the Pine Island/Thwaites glaciers now melt, together with the ice they drain from the interior, then the global sea level will rise approximately 1.5 metres. Do readers care if this floods some Pacific Islands? or parts of Bangladesh? or Venice? or some of London?

The loss of ice, glaciers, snow etc also means there is less whiteness to reflect the sun. The exposed earth absorbs the sun's heat. Thus contributes to global warming. The danger is that the permafrosts of Alaska, Canada and Siberia will melt and thus release huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane that has been hidden for millions of years.

If this awful event happens, the earth's temperature will rise so high that human life would become impossible except in the newly exposed lands near the two poles. Our great grandchildren will be lucky, or perhaps unlucky, if they are some of the few survivors.

The politicians should ensure by world agreement that in future we burn much less fossil fuel and use renewable sources of energy instead.

David Young
The Green Party General Election candidate for Bracknell.