This summer we witnessed interview teams at the North Pole wearing short sleeve shirts due to the warm weather. A study published on Aug 29 revealed more concerning issues in the supposedly coldest area of the world. Zombie ice from a massive Greenland ice sheet was confirmed to be melting, which would eventually raise global sea levels by at least 10 inches (27 centimeters) on its own, reported Associated Press (AP).

Zombie ice is the kind of ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice but is no longer getting fed by larger glaciers. Since glaciers are getting less snow to make up for the amount of ice melted, once the zombie ice is melted, it cannot be re-formed.

Scientists decided to look at the balance of the ice. In perfect equilibrium (平衡), snow in the mountains of Greenland flows down and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melting on the edges, according to AP. But in the last few decades, there is less refill and more melting, creating an imbalance.

Study co-author William Colgan at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland told AP that 3.3 percent of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt eventually. “Starying would be a good phrase” for what’s happening to the ice, Colgan added.

With a great number of natural resources buried under the earth, areas of melted ice revealed treasures that attracted the world’s richest men. According to CNN, in early August, there was a “treasure hunt” in Greenland. Billionaires, including Bill Gates and others, financially backed KoBold Metals, a US-based mineral exploration company, to explore the rare metals under the glaciers in Greenland. The company told CNN that since there were enough minerals to power hundreds of millions of electric vehicles, the critical resource is capable of powering the green energy transition.

While investors are taking advantage of global warming, experts express their concerns that the mineral exploration is likely to worsen the local environment, running out of the world’s resources at a faster rate.

People may wonder after using up Earth entirely, where are we going?

The most common target is our neighbour Mars. It is about half the size of Earth. From an astronomer’s perspective, Mars is Earth’s identical twin. And Mars has been in the news a lot lately, promoted as a possible homeland for humanity in the near future. While human-led missions to Mars seem likely in the coming decades, what are our prospects of long-term habitation on Mars? Present-day Mars is a cold, dry world with a very thin atmosphere. Its average surface pressure is less than 1 per cent of Earth’s. Surviving without a pressure suit in such an environment is impossible. The surface temperature ranges from 30°C in the summer, down to-140°C in the winter; these extreme temperature changes are due to the thin atmosphere on Mars.

Despite these clear challenges, proposals for changing Mars into a world suitable for long-term human habitation abound(大量出现).Mars is further from the Sun than Earth，so it would require significantly more greenhouse gases to achieve a temperature similar to Earth’s. Thickening the atmosphere by releasing CO2 in the Martian surface is the most popular “solution” to the thin atmosphere on Mars. However, every suggested method of releasing the carbon stored in Mars requires technology and resources far beyond what we are currently capable of. What’s more, a recent NASA study determined that there isn’t even enough CO2 on Mars to warm it sufficiently.

Even if we could find enough CO₂, we would still be left with an atmosphere we couldn’t breathe. Earth’s atmosphere contains only 0.04 per cent CO_2, and we cannot tolerate an atmosphere high in CO₂. For an atmosphere with Earth’s atmospheric pressure, CO₂ levels as high as 1 per cent can cause sleepiness in humans, and once we reach levels of 10 per cent CO₂, we will suffocate even if there is abundant oxygen. The proposed absolute best-case scenario (设 想)for changing Mars leaves us with an atmosphere we are incapable of breathing.

Living on a warming Earth presents many challenges. Scientists study Mars and other planets to better understand ourselves. In searching the universe, we are not looking for an escape to our problems: Earth is our unique and only home in the universe. There is no planet B.

Be a Green Guest

When people take a vacation, they often take vacation from responsibility, too. Our behavior at hotels is one of the biggest problems. We have our linens(纺织品) washed daily for us, and are provided with an endless stream of hot water — what’s not to love about that? But all of this luxury equals serious consequences for the environment. More and more hotels are becoming eco-friendly. They offer programs and facilities that save water and energy. That’s a good start, 【小题1】

In America alone, there are about 50,000 hotels. Hotel management normally leaves out two small bottles for each hotel room every day. 【小题2】 And what about all of that shampoo when you don’t finish the bottle? A better way is to bring your own shampoo from home.

【小题3】 Do it at the hotel, too. Studies have shown that, in hotels, the majority of energy spent through lighting comes from the bathroom light being left on for more than one hour! After you’re done with your business, remember to hit the switch!

Sure, it’s a luxury to have sheets and towels cleaned every day, but that’s all it is. Washing a set of bed sheets and a pair of bathroom towels requires about 12-16 gallons of water. See if there is a policy for requesting that your towels and linens get washed weekly. 【小题5】 In others, you may ask the front desk for a personal request.