Yet More Evidence of Global Warming

Even Polar Bears are now at risk of becoming an endangered species. We've been seeing the retreat of glaciers around the world. The retreat of glaciers in the Alps even led to the uncovering of the Ice Man. Now the great ice sheets of the Arctic and Antarctica are under threat. We're no longer in the realm of science fiction or even 'what if.' Here's another story on Global Warming from AP writer Rob Gillies on Yahoo:

A giant ice shelf has snapped free from an island south of the North Pole, scientists said Thursday, citing climate change as a "major" reason for the event.

The Ayles Ice Shelf — all 41 square miles of it — broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic.

Scientists discovered the event by using satellite imagery. Within one hour of breaking free, the shelf had formed as a new ice island, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.

(snip)

"It is consistent with climate change," Vincent said, adding that the remaining ice shelves are 90 percent smaller than when they were first discovered in 1906. "We aren't able to connect all of the dots ... but unusually warm temperatures definitely played a major role."

A word of caution about Global Warming. Some scientists argue that the mechanisms involved are quite real, and that human output of CO2 is probably the main culprit, but the more accurate phrase for what is happening may not be 'Global Warming,' but climate change. Another point to note is that things are happening somewhat faster than many scientists expected. If we can slow the process, the time to act is now. We need to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels won't go away and will still be a part of the economy but it's time to turn to future sources of energy. More important, it's time to take control of our future. Global Warming or 'climate change' is no longer about future generations. It is very much about people now living. It is now our problem and we must deal with it.