Posted on July 18, 2007 in Latest News
Global warming has brought about several damaging effects in the North Pole. Retreating glaciers, decreasing sea ice, coral bleaching, severe droughts and the migration of animals to colder climates are major causes of concern to scientists all over the world.
In order to draw the world’s attention to all these factors, an environmental campaigner from London did something that no human had ever done before. He took a dip at the North Pole. Lewis Pugh, a maritime lawyer, swam under two thirds of a mile at the geographic North Pole.
Pugh endured bone-chilling temp of 28.76 degrees Fahrenheit for 19 minutes. It was colder than the temperature at which water freezes under normal conditions. “The pain was immediate and felt like my body was on fire”, he says.
Pugh’s attire consisted only of a swim cap, goggles, and Speedo trunks. He was not allowed buoyancy aids or heat-retaining swim caps as per the Channel Swimming Association’s rules. Though ecstatic, Pugh was conflicted about his achievement, calling it both a ‘triumph and a tragedy’.
“A triumph that I could swim in such ferocious conditions but a tragedy that it’s possible to swim at the North Pole” he says.
Scientists believe that as soon as 2040, there will be virtually no ice at all on the Pole during the Arctic summer. Recent reports from the United Nations show that, the Arctic ice sheet has been shrinking up to 7% in winter and up to 12% in summer over the past 30 years.
The effects of Global Warming are very evident. The exact long-term consequences may be hard to assess with certainty but there is no doubt that these changes are posing a threat to species that survive best in extremely cold conditions.
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