what if antartica was green?

[The alchemist]

Scientists are predicting most of the ice in Antarctica will melt in the next 100yrs with the rate at which greenhouse gases are rising in our atmosphere.

Whether it will be lush and green area also depends on the type of soil underneath all that ice. If it is just bunch of big rocks, it might not support tropical rainforest climate.

There could be dormant pathogens underneath the ice that could potentially kill us. Permafrost is a good preserver of infectious agents, and whatever is down there could have existed many thousands of years ago.

Who knows if we carry a good enough health profile to resist the ancient disease agents? Do we have a good enough immunological system and response capacity to the unknown environmental aggression? I hope this covid situation can give us much data to deal with future pandemics in a better way, insha'Allah.

 

[Hodan from HR]

There could be dormant pathogens underneath the ice that could potentially kill us. Permafrost is a good preserver of infectious agents, and whatever is down there could have existed many thousands of years ago.

Who knows if we carry a good enough health profile to resist the ancient disease agents? Do we have a good enough immunological system and response capacity to the unknown environmental aggression? I hope this covid situation can give us much data to deal with future pandemics in a better way, insha'Allah.

Wow! If there exist pathogens under such extreme conditions, they will be deadly for humans. You are right.

I read somewhere the melted ice will form streams and lakes which might not be safe for consumption and when they drain into the oceans, and other water bodies with whatever toxins they carry with them, also ruin our clean waters.

My favorite theory is how the lakes and streams formed from the melted ice, added to our rising sea level, 90% of earth will be covered by water. Day of judgement might as well happen at this point.


It'll indeed be an interesting time to be alive!

 

[The alchemist]

Wow! If there exist pathogens under such extreme conditions, they will be deadly for humans. You are right.

I read somewhere the melted ice will form streams and lakes which might not be safe for consumption and when they drain into the oceans, and other water bodies with whatever toxins they carry with them, also ruin our clean waters.

My favorite theory is how the lakes and streams formed from the melted ice, added to our rising sea level, 90% of earth will be covered by water. Day of judgement might as well happen at this point.


It'll indeed be an interesting time to be alive!

A friend brought up the topic of rising sea-levels yesterday. He mentioned over half a billion people would have to move from their areas, imagine how such displacement would impact immigration, economy, the function of countries, etc.

On the topic of the day of judgment, I think it will be further in the future. The people after us will have it rough if the projections are so severe. Or maybe who knows; other interesting things might happen in the response effort; things don't happen linearly after all.

 

[Hodan from HR]

A friend brought up the topic of rising sea-levels yesterday. He mentioned over half a billion people would have to move from their areas, imagine how such displacement would impact immigration, economy, the function of countries, etc.

On the topic of the day of judgment, I think it will be further in the future. The people after us will have it rough if the projections are so severe. Or maybe who knows; other interesting things might happen in the response effort; things don't happen linearly after all.

Apparently, half of China, and Bangladesh is where majority of the displaced people will be from. Then there is also islands/countries which will completely disappear. What will happen to these people?
There will be alot of chaos indeed.

@The alchemist I take back my statement, there's nothing interesting about living in such a time

My ecology prof said the only response effort will be living frugally. Resources will be scarce and water will be the new currency.

 

[MacrobianOgress]

Antarctica was green. On old maps, it was vegetated so I guess it went through climate change and going to change back green.

 

[Shimbiris]

There were some "cool" maps of what the world would look like if all the ice at the poles melted:

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The Horn seems mostly untouched except for some coastline toward the south. A lot of current coastal cities all over the world will become things of the past, though. And Antartica would look more like a giant archipelago than a continent.