Nature marked a place with its all peace and serenity, it was named Arctic Circle. Later, United Nations marked the place for peace and unity among all the nations of the world and a treaty was formed in the interest of the mankind, that no country can claim this area for itself. Arctic also includes part of Canada, Greenland, Russia, United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The region consists of a vast ice covered ocean and is a unique part of the Earth’s ecosystem which only resides almost 3000 people in total.

The Arctic Circle is the most dormant place on the planet where everything holds its calm yet it is the place which forms the future of our planet by changing itself in accordance to changes happening all over the world. It is the place which not only shows the foremost  signs of global warming but also telling us about it by losing large chunks of glaciers.

Some land parts of Arctic are called permafrost (soil at or below freezing point of water for two or more years). It was discovered that permafrost holds beneath it the reserves of a greenhouse gas many folds more harmful than carbon dioxide. Methane is the gas and its effects are about 25-30 times more than carbon dioxide in context of global warming. The amount of methane stored is calculated to be greater than the total amount of carbon locked up in global coal reserves.

Climactic time bomb is the other name given to permafrost methane by the scientists because with the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the temperature increases. With every increase of about 4°C in average global temperatures there is a greater increase at North Pole. With the increase in temperatures, the Arctic ice melts to great extents releasing methane buried beneath permafrost and reaches atmosphere further increasing global warming. And this change can be seen as rising of sea levels, increase in temperatures, changing climatic patters, severe climate conditions and many more.

Methane gas has a lifetime of 8-10 years. Scientists say that when released most of it reacts with ultraviolet radiations coming from sun and is broken down to carbon dioxide. Lifetime of carbon dioxide is about 100 years whether it stays as methane or carbon dioxide this would cause greenhouse effect to race out of control with consequences far away from our predictions; we would literally be in an unknown territory. Even the most optimistic scientist thinks it will happen in next 20-25 years. This is a vicious circle with no end to it.

But the world can stop this process before it even starts by making few changes in our lifestyles. Here I am providing you with effective ways to fight this evil which, homosapiens like us created.

»» Stop using cars at least while traveling alone or going to close markets. Better buy a hybrid car, if you can afford it and u will have an awesome technology to brag about.

»» Don’t use plastics, people still don’t understand it. And if you still use it, reuse again and again. And in the end throw it in a DUSTBIN so that it reaches a proper place for recycling.

»» Buy cold drinks available in glass bottles, if buying a plastic pet bottle reuse it as a water bottle at your home.

»» Use LED bulbs, if not LED at least use CFL bulbs, an efficient way of saving electricity and money.

»» And did I mentioned PLANT TREES, the efficient and easiest way to conserve environment.

Now it is up to every one of us, what will be the next chapter of this story. . . . . . TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE.

Useful Resources:

Global Warming, an Atmospheric Alarm

What Are Green House Gases & Where Do They Come From?

Permafrost Melt