The melting Arctic shouldn’t be on the backburner

[Robert Gifford]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-should-take-the-lead-on-the-shrinking-arctic-ice/2012/09/03/afb2ed5e-f14f-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_story.html 

Main Idea Quoted: "The latest reports of the shrinking Arctic ice should shock Congress and the president into more aggressive action, but both branches of government have been timid in the face of one of the great challenges of our age"

Main Idea in my Own Words: The shrinking of the polar icecaps is an issue that is too important to ignore, our government needs to take action.

Response: 

This editorial, written by the Washington Post editorial board, brings up an issue that has been in the back of all of our minds, global warming. The editorial board argues that our United States Government is not paying enough attention to the northern ice. Some may argue, why should we care about something that has had no major impact on my life? So what if the weather is a little warmer, or if the seas have risen a few inches? Although we may have not been affected by this issue in our own life thus far, the editorial board raises a good point in saying that this issue could cause many future complications, such as: border disputes, oil and mineral trading, and "jockeying among military forces". This is not a minor issue, but if you think it is, this minor issue, could turn into many larger ones that WOULD effect us directly. Yes, it can be argued that we have been trying to cut down on our fossil fuel consumption, but not ENOUGH. There needs to be more attempts, we have slowed it down but we need to keep trying. All of this would be much easier if our government was there to support us.