Researchers from Boston College have warned that tropical glaciers in the Andes Mountains in South America have shrunk to their smallest size since the Ice Age ended more than 11,000 years ago, Interesting Engineering reported.
What's happening?
Scientists have been aware that the glaciers are melting for years; it's largely a consequence of the overheating of our planet fueled by our reliance on dirty energy sources such as gas and oil. The new research indicates that the melting is happening even faster than previously thought, and that the more melting occurs, the faster future melting becomes.
The researchers warned that it is very concerning that the tropics have now warmed out of the range of the Holocene Epoch (the name given to the current epoch, spanning the last 11,700 years — though some have proposed human activity pushed us into a new epoch, the Anthropocene).
"This is the first large region of the planet where we have strong evidence that glaciers have crossed this important benchmark — it is a 'canary in the coal mine' for glaciers everywhere," Boston College professor and paleoclimatologist Jeremy Shakun said.
Why are glaciers important?
The melting of the glaciers isn't just a canary in the coal mine warning us to take action. It is a huge problem for all life on Earth. As the glaciers continue to melt, scientists expect sea levels to continue to rise, eventually enveloping coastal communities, destroying homes, and displacing millions of people.
In addition, widespread ice melt could cause even less predictable problems, releasing harmful gases and diseases that have been frozen in place for thousands of years.
What's being done about the melting of the glaciers?
To prevent the ongoing overheating of our planet, it is vital that we stop relying on dirty energy sources like gas and oil and instead embrace clean, renewable sources like wind and solar.
Considering that corporations are the world's largest contributors to planet-overheating emissions, it's important that lawmakers take action to make it unprofitable for them to continue to do so.
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