The ice and snow of the polar regions provide a protective cooling layer over them. As the ice and snow slowly melt away, they cause that protective layer to contract more and more. Without nature's cooling mechanism the earth will be able to absorb more heat from the sun, ultimately making the poles, and the Earth, warmer. This results in further melting of the ice caps and so the cycle continues. Rising Earth temperatures risk the deterioration and destruction of many ecosystems. For example the spruce bark beetle in Alaska has begun breeding faster because of an increase in temperatures; they are able to produce extra offspring each year. This beetle is responsible for the destruction of 3.4 million acres of Alaskan forest from 1993 to 2003.
Ice that was once a permanent fixture would have been home to many native animals, possibly native people. When these species lose their natural habitat there is no guarantee that they will successfully migrate elsewhere. When melting caused the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf to crack and splinter, the freshwater it enclosed drained to the ocean, along with the living species within it. Native people can only see this as a dangerous threat to their culture and their survival.
Many island nations and large cities are located in low-lying areas. Often their population lives within 6 to 10 feet of current sea levels. There is a real danger for these people that over the next decades and century that melting of the ice caps will raise the sea level in a way that will cause the destruction and loss of their homes. Other areas of the world will need the infrastructure to cope with an increased population. Those forced to migrate face the same threat of the native people of the arctic, in that their culture is at serious risk of being lost.
Food production can be temperature sensitive. The slowly changing temperatures of the world put our current food growth, production techniques and businesses at risk. For example, without arctic ice the state of Kansas would be approximately 4 degrees warmer over the winter months. Those freezing temperatures that wheat farmers need to grow their winter wheat won't be so freezing anymore. In summer the warmer weather will mean crops will dry out and die off earlier than they should. Overall it results in potential loss of jobs, income and a valuable source of food.
