Ice on the edge of survival: Warming is changing the Arctic

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

The Arctic is warming three times faster than the rest of the Earth and it’s on the knife edge of survival. Scientists and activists say the ongoing negotiations at the U.N. climate conference may determine the fate of the northern polar region perhaps more than any other part of the planet. In a couple decades or less, the Arctic will see summers with no sea ice. Some glaciers are doomed. The massive ice sheet in Greenland is melting. Permafrost is thawing. These developments loom large during the negotiations in Glasgow, which is the farthest north the annual negotiations have taken place. Scientists believe Arctic warming is already contributing to weather calamities elsewhere around the world.