Al Gore:
I went up to the North Pole. I went under that ice cap in a nuclear submarine that surfaced through the ice like this.
[a clip of the submarine surfacing is shown]
Al Gore:
Since they started patrolling in 1957, they have gone under the ice and measured with their radar looking upwards to measure how thick it is, because they can only surface in areas where it's three and a half feet thick or less. So they have kept a meticulous record, and they wouldn't release it because it was national security. I went up there in order to persuade them to release it, and they did. And here's what that record shows. Starting in 1970, there was a precipitous drop-off in the amount and extent and thickness of the Arctic ice cap. It has diminished by 40% in 40 years. And there are now two major studies showing that within the next 50 to 70 years, in summertime it will be completely gone. Now, you might say "Why is that a problem?", and "How could the Arctic ice cap actually melt so quickly?". When the sun's rays hit the ice, more than 90% of it bounces off right back into space like a mirror. But when it hits the open ocean, more than 90% is absorbed. And so, as the surrounding water gets warmer, it speeds up the melting of the ice. Right now, the Arctic ice cap acts like a giant mirror. All the sun's rays bounce off, more than 90%. It keeps the Earth cooler. But as it melts, and the open ocean receives that sun's energy instead, more than 90% is absorbed. So there is a faster buildup of heat here, at the North Pole, in the Arctic Ocean, and the Arctic generally, than anywhere else on the planet. That's not good for creatures like polar bears who depend on the ice. A new scientific study shows that, for the first time, they're finding polar bears that have actually drowned, swimming long distances, up to 60 miles, to find the ice. And they didn't find that before. But what does it mean to us? To look at a vast expanse of open water at the top of our world that used to be covered by ice. We ought to care a lot, because it has planetary effects.
