![]() ![]() Sea ice loss is one of the main drivers of Arctic amplification, the phenomenon that the Arctic warms faster than the rest of the world under climate change. In September 2020, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the Arctic sea ice in 2020 had melted to an area of 3.74 million km 2, its second-smallest area since records began in 1979. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (2021) stated that Arctic sea ice area will likely drop below 1 million km 2 in at least some Septembers before 2050. The region is at its warmest in at least 4,000 years and the Arctic-wide melt season has lengthened at a rate of five days per decade (from 1979 to 2013), dominated by a later autumn freeze-up. It is also thought that summertime sea ice will cease to exist sometime during the 21st century. The decline of sea ice in the Arctic has been accelerating during the early twenty‐first century, with a decline rate of 4.7% per decade (it has declined over 50% since the first satellite records). Global warming, caused by greenhouse gas forcing is responsible for the decline in Arctic sea ice. It has been melting more in summer than it refreezes in winter. Sea ice in the Arctic has declined in recent decades in area and volume due to climate change. One day, when her 7-year old granddaughter was returned home, she asked her mother, “How come when I drive with Grandma people in other cars are always pointing at her?” She then demonstrated a classic middle finger salute, the universal rebuke to inconsiderate or erratic drivers.Decline in arctic sea ice volume from 1979 to 2022 But she used to ferry her grandchildren around. We were slow to realize that in her early 70s, she was beginning to drive erratically, because in most respects she was still normal, and we rarely drove with her at the wheel. ![]() For the decline in reflexes and judgment can be subtle and unnoticeable, predating obvious signals of diminishing cognitive abilities that would signal the need for medical testing. And by the time a doctor has diagnosed a person with dementia, it could be too late to prevent an accident. Mandatory annual tests in my opinion would cause far more anxiety in the elderly than targeted visits to those who have been singled out for declining driving skills. Another would be to rely on doctors reporting on patients they have diagnosed with dementia, as in fact they are bound to by law. If dementia is far more prevalent in the old, and it obviously is, then only by targeting the old can failing competence be weeded out.īut who will bell the cat? Especially when the cat loves her independence, and is unaware that her reflexes, judgment and knowledge of road rules is slipping? One way would be to make driving tests mandatory every year for people over a certain age. He will still have to pay a higher insurance premium. If most accidents are caused by young, inexperienced, over-confident drivers, it doesn’t matter if your 18-year old son is ultra-prudent and responsible. Article contentīut how do you identify at-risk drivers without “targeting” people? If you don’t want to waste enormous amounts of time and money in politically correct random checks, only targeting will do. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Susan Eng, vice-president for advocacy of the Canadian Association for Retired Persons (CARP) feels this kind of targeting of everyone “who looks a certain age” is “a huge infringement on rights.” She feels everyone should be subjected to the same testing standards, and nobody should be presumed to be a greater risk than anyone else on the basis of their age. According to reports, they are urging Sudbury residents “to anonymously report elderly motorists they feel are no longer fit to drive.” When they receive a tip, they will send a plainclothes officer to talk to the driver and see if the tip was valid, through questions about vision or hearing, for example, which could lead to a medical checkup or a new driving test. The task force’s mandate is to increase road safety by identifying senior drivers who are no longer as competent on the road as they once were. Activate your Online Access Now Article content If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. ![]()
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