Melting+Ice+Fields+in+Canada

=**Melting Ice Fields in Canada**=

By Uchral Tergel

__**Thesis**__: Many scientists say that the Canada's ice fields are shrinking at a dramatic rate which the society must act now.

__**Bridge**__: The threatening effects of the melting ice fields are
 * the raise of sea level
 * the shortage of fresh water
 * the change in economy throughout the world

__**The Summary**__: A reduction in snowfall or an increase in summer warmth causes the ice fields to melt. The further melting of Canada's ice fields will negatively affect the

world. The raise of sea level will eventually cause the loss of millions of acres of coastal land which will lead to agricultural conflicts as the human population rise. The

shortage of potable water will result in source of problems between nations and it will affect the hydroelectric power which will rapidly raise the air pollution. Lastly, the

change in economy will be that the economic toll between $2.4 trillion and $24 trillion as the ice fields melt over the next 40 years according to lead author Eban Goodstein,

Ph.D. The high price reflects anticipated losses in Canada’s agriculture and real estate plus the cost of disease outbreaks and natural disasters associated with rising sea

levels inCanada. An article in //Nature News// already reports a rising trend in monsoons in India. This issue has already started to affect other countries. Therefore, the society

and the government in Canada must act now before it is too late.



__**TIMELINE**__:


 * 1880 –** Arctic Islands order in council proclaims Canadian sovereignty over all British territories in North America.


 * 1969 –** Voyage of U.S. tanker //S.S. Manhattan// through the Northwest Passage.


 * 1970 –** Canada passes the //Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act//, declaring Canadian regulatory control over pollution within a 100-mile zone.


 * 1973 –** Canada and Denmark agree on “delimitation of the continental shelf” between Greenland and Canada.


 * 1985 –** Voyage of U.S. icebreaker //CGS Polar Sea// through the Northwest Passage.


 * 1985 –** Government of Canada announces plans to acquire “Polar 8 icebreaker.”


 * 1987 –** Canada’s 1987 White Paper on Defence announces plans to acquire 10-12 nuclear submarines.


 * 1988 –** Canada and United States reach an agreement on “Arctic Cooperation,” which pledges that voyages of U.S. icebreakers should seek consent from Canada.


 * 2000 –** Government of Canada releases //The Northern Dimension of Canada’s Foreign Policy//, including policy of asserting Canadian sovereignty in the North.


 * 2003 –** Canada ratifies United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).


 * 2004 –** //Arctic Climate Impact Assessment// (Arctic Council) is released.


 * 2004 –** Speech from the Throne, announcing a “northern strategy.”


 * 2005 –** Canada’s Minister of National Defence visits Hans Island in July.


 * 2005 –** A U.S. nuclear submarine voyages to the North Pole in December, possibly travelling through Canadian Arctic waters.

__**QUESTIONS**__:

Please, write down your answers on a seperate piece of paper and hand it in to me.Thank you!

1. Do you think Canada need to concern about this problem? Why or Why not?

2. From your reading, do you believe in global warming? Explain your reasons.