Climate Change is Reshaping Iceland

Flag+of+Iceland

T. Dongara

Flag of Iceland

Climate change is a major issue that has been going on for decades. Although we have found some quick fixes for some aspects of it, we are in need of a long term solution which we haven’t found yet. As time goes on, it’s only becoming more and more of an issue and is affecting many places like the Arctic, Africa, and small islands. One place hit especially hard is Iceland. 

Iceland is big on fishing. As commercial fishing is a major contributor to the island’s economy, climate change has made an impact. With the waters getting warmer and warmer, the fish have moved farther away from the island to seek cooler islands that they could live in. This made it so that they moved so far away from the island that Iceland’s fisherman can no longer reach the fish, which hurt the economy of Iceland that relies on commercial fishing. 

Fishing isn’t the only aspect that is getting affected. Since Iceland is a small island, as the large glaciers around the island are melting, they would suffer from rising sea levels. Since Iceland is such a small island, it suffers from the consequences of climate change so much more than bigger regions are right now. 

Iceland being a generally cold region, the rising sea levels and a warming climate is going to make a lasting impact. They are now expecting a future with no ice, which would be a drastic change for the island. 

Some measures were taken to see how the island has created some solutions to if not solve, then at least delay the issue. Fishing industries are using energy-efficient ships to help control fossil fuel use. The region has also changed to use more hydroelectric power plants and is still experimenting with burying excess carbon dioxide in the rocks so that it won’t be in the atmosphere. 

As Ayush Gundawar, a Freshman at Green Level High School say, “Climate change is definitely a big issue that is affecting all parts of the world. It’s only going to be getting worse and until we get a long-term solution for it, nobody should be blowing it off.” Gundawar feels that climate change is something that is affecting us, as students of Green Level High School: “Students of our school need to be aware of this issue because we are part of the next generation who is going to have to fix it.”