Melting Arctic ice opens once-secluded ports to outsiders | The...

Most days in Nome, you're not likely to run into anybody you didn't see at the Breakers Bar on Friday night.

[Mike]

See...it's a good thing.

[David Scott]

Mike wrote:

See...it's a good thing.

Go to http://www.globalchange.gov/ and read reports from government scientists and many leading universities and research institutions.

No, throwing a monkey wrench into the Earth's climate system is not a good thing, and that's an understatement. Even if we act responsibly, global warming is going to have staggering costs. And we haven't acted yet.

[DrC Ohio]

This is bad news. There will be a positive feedback loop. All of those ships with dirty diesel fuel will be emitted. In those emissions is black carbon which is 1000 times more potent than CO2. BC heats up when it cooks in the sun; next when it falls back to earth on ice or snow will accelerate the melting. Not to mention (but I will) the methane that will be released from the perma frost.

From the wildlife perspective, the polar bears are threatened from a lack of ice. Another animal-krill needs the ice to replenish its numbers. Without krill, say goodbye to many of the whales. This is a very scary thing.