Задание

Read the text about the North Pole crisis and choose the idea it expresses.

Recent researches on the North Pole environment show that the Arctic Ocean, which is frozen now, might increase its temperature up to the point where it will become completely melted every summer (just like any sea). In fact, the waters surrounding the North Pole have been covered with a thick layer of ice all year round for centuries. However, nowadays the scientists are sounding the alarm. They warn us that if nothing changes within a decade, the ice sheet will thin out rapidly and one day will completely disappear.

But why does an ice-free Arctic area bring out so much concern? When the ice melts, numerous glaciers and ice shelves will be detached from the general ice mass. The less ice is left, the more water is produced by its melting, which means the unavoidable sea level rise. This, consequently, will lead to floods and the destruction of most of the coastal cities. What is more, the process may influence the weather dramatically. The researchers predict a significant increase in water-related disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis. Additionally, the air temperature will rise as well, as the Arctic will stop working as a so-called Earth's refrigerator.

Obviously, this sad image of the future has a lot of chances to come true in case most of the Earth's inhabitants don't change their attitude to the ecological issues. Global warming is caused mostly by human activity, carbon dioxide emissions in particular. They should be reduced at least by forty per cent from the actual level in order to slow down the dangerous trend.

Tick the correct answer.

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is necessary to combat climate change

Global warming is the result of the polar ice caps melting

Many coastal regions will be submerged in the near future due to rising sea levels