When Will We Stop?

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.