Race for the Arctic

The times they are changing, and they are changing fast. At the turn of the 20th century Frederick Cook and Robert Peary had to spend weeks on end in sledges and lost many a toe to frostbite in their race to become the first to reach the North Pole. It now seems likely that by the end of the 21st century one will simply be able to call a travel agency and book a cruise across the Arctic. Research shows that the northern ice cap in summer is some 20% smaller than it was 30 years ago and, if this trend is to continue, there may be no ice at all by 2075, much to the chagrin of the Arctic’s polar bears. Having to live with longer summers and less ice, the white giants already face great difficulties in catching their beloved seals and have turned to cannibalism and infanticide