When will we stop to think of what we do?
We treat this land as if it is our own;
Then all of our mistakes start to accrue,
With consequences steady and unknown.
The Arctic is not out there all alone,
Sea ice protects us with its whitish hue;
Without it Earth would sink like a hot stone,
When will we stop to think of what we do?
As well as helping mankind to ensue,
Bacteria will feed there until grown;
Zooplankton is one species that pass through,
We treat this land as if it is our own.
Now when zooplankton feed, poison is shown,
As chemical reactions follow through;
Creating neurotoxins to dethrone,
Then all of our mistakes start to accrue.
When sea ice melt salt levels do imbue,
Which traps organic matter in one zone;
This feeding ground for zooplankton is new,
With consequences steady and unknown.
Yet as the Earth heats up we start to moan,
Then flood our lands for hydropower too;
But as this salty water is now sewn,
Zooplankton feed and poison starts to spew.
When will we stop?
This is a rondeau redoublé about a recent study, which found that high levels of a powerful neurotoxin (methylmercury) are released as a result of melting sea-ice in the Arctic caused by global warming. Similar processes were also found to occur when flooding lands in preparation for hydroelectric development.