Italian scientists who keep track of how our warming planet impacts the country's glaciers made a sobering discovery: Rising temperatures could cause Italy's iconic Marmolada glacier to vanish by 2040, the Guardian reported.
What's happening?
According to the Guardian, experts recently announced that the Marmolada — the largest, most famous glacier in the Dolomite Mountains — is already facing significant ice loss, with about 7-10 centimeters of depth disappearing from the glacier each day. That's the equivalent of 98 football fields over the past five years.
Experts and environmental organizers noted that the Marmolada has shrunk by nearly 4,000 feet since it was first measured in 1888, per the Guardian.
Sadly, the Marmolada isn't the only glacier threatened by our overheating planet: Extreme weather — heat waves, brutal winter droughts, reduced snowfall — has led numerous glaciers in the Italian Alps to melt at an astonishing pace.
"The Alps … are becoming increasingly fragile due to the advancing climate emergency," environmentalist Vanda Bonardo, the president of an international Alps conservation group, told the Guardian. "The glacier of Marmolada is an important example."
Why are melting glaciers concerning?
Retreating glaciers are more than a sad reminder of our changing climate. They can also be dangerous.
As glaciers worldwide shrink, tourists are flocking to see them before they disappear — a type of travel some have called "last-chance tourism," per The New York Times. This may seem like great news for tourist towns, but rising temperatures are making these natural wonders more unstable and risky to explore.
Some glacier collapses have even triggered avalanches that have killed people visiting the Alps. In 2022, a partial collapse of the Marmolada glacier sent ice, rocks, and snow tumbling down the mountain and killed nearly a dozen people.
Melting glaciers also threaten the planet's freshwater supply. According to the United Nations, glaciers are the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth — providing nearly 2 billion people worldwide with drinking water.
The thawing glaciers also contribute to rising sea levels, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association explains. If ice loss accelerates, it could put communities and even entire countries at risk.
What's being done about melting glaciers?
Giorgio Zampetti, another conservationist from the international group, called for "an effective national adaptation plan to the climate crisis, starting from the most vulnerable areas, such as high mountains," the Guardian reported.
Even if you don't live near glaciers, you can help to keep them around for future generations to enjoy.
Voting for pro-climate candidates who advocate for clean energy instead of polluting fuels, switching to an electric car, or even easy wins like upgrading to LED bulbs can all make a difference toward saving these natural wonders for years to come.
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