Easier to dig for oil, that's all: I don't know that this can be explained away so easily. Satellite images don't lie. Now, what is the cause of this ice melt, is it cyclical, and what impact does it have on us all? Certainly, I'd listen to anyone who can tell me that the ice melt is simply part of nature's workings, and that in another 50 years, everything will be frozen shut again. This may be hard to establish because our data only goes back so far, and because it doesn't seem to be true. I'll agree that the Kyoto Protocol isn't the cure-all that some say, but neither is Bush's choice to drill for more oil. There has to be a way to cut back on greenhouse emissions without crippling the economy. Again, I'm not sure what the effect of the ice melting is, but I can imagine that it signifies extensive change, and most of us don't want to change.