Unit 4.13, Exercise 1, Page 124.0:00
Global warming is a hot topic that shows little sign of cooling down.0:28
The Earth's climate is changing, but precisely how or even if we can stop the process is uncertain.0:33
Over the last century, average global temperatures have increased by approximately 1 degree, while in Alaska, northwestern Canada, and eastern Russia, it is believed average temperatures have increased by as much as 3 to 4 degrees.0:40
In the northern hemisphere, the spring thaw occurs nine days earlier and the winter freeze happens about 10 days later than it did 150 years ago.0:55
And the last two decades have been the warmest ever recorded since the mid-1800s.1:04
Global warming has serious repercussions for life on the planet.1:11
One immediate result is that many animal species are fighting for survival.1:15
One example is the polar bear population that lives in the Hudson Bay area of northern Manitoba.1:20
The reduction in ice, as well as a shorter winter season means that the bears have a reduced hunting period.1:27
For some bears, their yearly food intake has decreased by as much as 10 kg.1:34
Some of them are not able to survive the summer fast because they have not stored enough energy to sustain themselves.1:40
They need the ice to cover the sea during the winter months so they can hunt for seals, their main source of food.1:47
However, the sea ice is melting and breaking up.1:54
Because of global warming, glaciers and icebergs are receding and disappearing at alarming rates.1:57
Studies suggest that the West Hudson Bay polar bear population has decreased by as much as 20% in just 10 years.2:05
Warmer weather in the region also has a cataclysmic effect on female bears and their maternity density.2:13
Many dens collapse in the spring due to heavy rains and trap the mothers and their cubs.2:20
In some instances, the increased temperatures melt the frozen ground where the dens are located, also causing them to collapse.2:26
Unless the mother and cubs are rescued, most of these animals die.2:34
If we continue to do nothing to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and continue to pollute our environment, ice conditions in the Hudson Bay area will not be able to sustain and support its population of polar bears, and2:39
we will have forced yet another species into extinction.2:52
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