Northwest Passage Ice Shrinks to New Low

PARIS - Arctic ice coverage has receded this week to record lows, the European Space Agency said, raising the prospect of greater maritime traffic through a long-sought waterway known as the Northwest Passage.

Until now, the passage has been expected to remain closed even during reduced ice cover by multiyear ice pack — sea ice that remains through one or more summers, ESA said.

Once again society is so thoroughly hosed. Faced with mounting evidence of the degree of environmental damage caused by global warming, how to "decision makers" view the topic? They see it as a way to make more money by shortening shipping lanes.

So what if the polar bears are screwed? So what if vegetation changes cause the snow goose population nesting in the Arctic to plummet? So what if earth loses millions of acres of wetlands because of the loss of permafrost? None of it matters as long as some rich bastard somewhere finds a way to exploit the crisis for more profit.