Erasing The Arctic: Human interactions are possibly contributing to the diminishing Arctic, and students are making attempts to stop this

As President Trump continuously moved forward with oil drilling in the Arctic — such as the auction held on Jan. 6 to sell actric land to oil companies, members of the East community and the country as a whole are focusing on the effects of human intervention in an already unstable environment.

According to Climate.gov, polar caps have been melting at a continuous rate due to rising global temperatures. World Atlas states that 90% of the Earth’s warmth is absorbed by the ocean, which makes glaciers most susceptible to the effects of global warming. The Artic has been affected more than the rest of the world, losing 50% of its ice in the past 50 years and 75% of its summer ice since the 70s, according to weforum.org.

East parent Chris Muehlberger is an Environmental Law professor at KU and an attorney for the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency. Working with environmental scientists on a daily basis, he understands the magnitude of the issue and its effect on the Arctic and hopes others will make efforts to stop it as well.

“The Arctic poles are receiving the brunt of climate change at a more rapid pace than the rest of the planet,” Muehlberger said. “So that’s why you’re seeing higher temperatures in the Arctic and the Antarctic, the melting of the ice caps, the breaking off of glaciers into the ocean and they’re an indicator of what’s to come for the rest of the planet.”

According to National Geographic, long-term regional effects of the Arctic warming could be changes in the marine food web, an increased mortality rate for seals and polar bears, disruption of the Arctic region’s Indigenous people, the loss of large amounts of fresh water and permanent damage to the Arctic region.

“The Arctic National Wildlife Preserve is one of the largest remaining natural habitats left on the planet, and it’s a very fragile ecosystem,” Muehlberger said. “I think it’s a mistake to go in there looking for fossil fuels, especially since the energy market is already moving in a different direction, renewable energies are much cheaper, and natural gas and fracking has made oil extraction less profitable.”

After the announcement of Trump’s plans to sell Arctic land for oil drilling back in Dec., huge social media revolts filled feeds — bringing the topic of oil drilling and melting of glaciers to the attention or many teens such as sophomore Sophie Shroyer, a member of the East Against Climate Change club.

“I see it all over TikTok, all over Instagram, it’s everywhere,” Shroyer said. “It’s really good that so many people are sharing and educating, because without people doing that, I would have never known.”

As the information gains traction across social media platforms, the public is looking to a new administration to reverse the damaging changes of the Trump Administration. 

Many students like senior and member of the Youth Against Climate Change Club Ana Sofia Lahovary are in support of the Biden administration’s plan to combat climate change in rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, implementing a new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and making the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge permanently protected.

According to Shroyer, when it comes to the causes of climate change, one cause seems to be discussed in the media and by the public more than others: large corporations.

“So much of the responsibility of the big corporations has been shifted onto the individual and the public as a way to divert the attention and make it seem like the people’s fault,” Shroyer said. “It’s not your fault the world works so you have to drive your car to work every day, it’s the companies that are spewing oil and gas and totally disregarding the environment just to make a profit.”

Members of the East community hope that responsibility will be held to large corporations under a new administration.

“I think our government should put a lot of pressure on these corporations like other countries have, in order to not just be like performative,” Lahovary said. “Companies like Exxon Mobil, they’re very performative in their messages on the climate crisis. And I think our government needs to increase regulation on said corporations that are the biggest culprits of the climate crisis.”

Biden plans to put more accountability on public companies, requiring them to give information about greenhouse gas emissions, limiting emissions through vehicular transportation and preserve the existing Clean Air Act.

On a personal scale, signing petitions is the most encouraged form of basic advocating — especially when the epicenter of the issue is geographically far from Kansas, according to Shroyer.

“I think petition signing is great. I mean, it’s quick, it’s simple, you can sign so many in such a small amount of time,” Shroyer said. “It can only do so much, but it’s so much better than doing nothing, and it really puts into perspective how many collective voices care for an issue and it really gets the word out to leaders.”