ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Drone Footage Reveals Impact Of North Pole Heatwave On Arctic Ice Cap

Drone Footage Reveals Impact Of North Pole Heatwave On Arctic Ice Cap

'This is not science fiction. This is the reality of climate change'

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

Drone footage has laid bare the impact a heatwave in the North Pole is having on the polar ice cap.

Earlier this week, The Mirror reported that 22°C temperatures were melting the ice - with children even playing in the usually frozen waters of Greenland. Now, aerial footage has revealed the extent of the damage caused by climate change.

While the footage is undeniably stunning, it paints a bleak picture for the future of our planet.

Director of science at WWF, Mark Wright - who accompanied the Daily Mirror to the Arctic - said urgent action was needed to tackle the problem.

He said: "If all of Greenland's ice were to melt, it would raise global sea levels by 21 feet, meaning cities like London, Sydney and New York would be underwater and the whole of Bangladesh would disappear.

"This is not science fiction. This is the reality of climate change.

"It is happening now - and here in accelerated terms - providing a crucial insight into what we will all face unless we urgently tackle this now."

Melting ice is contributing to an alarming rise in sea levels.
Mirror Pix

Reporting from Greenland - the word's largest island - The Mirror said life had changed dramatically there in just 10 years, with residents of Qaanaaq, in the north-west, now accustomed to wearing t-shirts and being bitten by mosquitoes.

Climate change experts believe the increase in melting ice is being caused by the man-made increase in greenhouse gas emissions across the course of the past century. This is amplified by the Albedo effect, whereby the decreasing amount of ice causes less heat to be reflected away from the planet, meaning it is instead absorbed, causing the earth to get hotter still.

Dr Victoria Herrmann, the president and managing director of the Arctic Institute, warned that ice-free summers are on there way in Greenland.

Climate change experts are urging governments to take urgent action.
Mirror Pix

Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: "We are already entering a new normal in the Arctic, and what we are seeing now is far and beyond what we predicted in 2019.

"It has also fundamentally changed the environment of Greenland, both for the people that call it home and for its unique ecosystem. That will only get worse in the decades to come, where we will see ice free summers in the Arctic.

"The territory relies heavily on land-based transport to get from one community to the next via snowmobile or dog sled. But if it becomes a big puddle of water that makes it a lot more difficult to see relatives, or share the meat you have hunted, or go to a basketball game. It disrupts regular lives."

Featured Image Credit: Mirror Pix

Topics: World News, climate change