Some changes are so drastic, you have to see them to believe them. In 2009, Alaska’s Columbia Glacier was a formidable river of ice. Just six years later, in 2015, it had pulled back an astonishing 6.5 kilometers (about 4 miles). This isn’t a slow geological shift—it’s a landscape transforming before our eyes.
And this isn’t happening in just one remote corner of the world. The story is repeating itself globally:
Trift Glacier, Switzerland
Qori Kalis Glacier, Peru
Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska
These powerful images are the cornerstone of “Savor the Cryosphere,” a project by some of the world’s top geoscientists. They used a simple but undeniable method: taking new photos from the exact same spots where historical pictures were taken. As co-author Gregory S. Baker of the University of Kansas put it, “These are simply photos… straightforward proof of large-scale ice loss around the globe.”
The Experts Behind the Evidence
Who is sounding this alarm? The power of these before-and-after images comes from the credibility of the scientists who presented them. This wasn’t a fringe study but a unified effort from the most respected researchers in the field.
The team included heavyweights like:
- Richard B. Alley, PhD: A climate scientist from Pennsylvania State University and a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- Lonnie G. Thompson, PhD: A paleoclimatologist from The Ohio State University who holds the National Medal of Science. He has led over 60 expeditions to drill ice cores from high-altitude glaciers, giving us a clear window into past climate changes.
- James D. Balog: The founder of the Extreme Ice Survey, the most extensive ground-based photo study of glaciers ever conducted. His work was featured in the Emmy-winning documentary “Chasing Ice.”
These experts chose to use photos for a reason: to cut through the jargon and present the evidence in a way that is scientifically solid and instantly understandable to everyone.
A Global Trend That’s Picking Up Speed
While the photos show individual glaciers, they are snapshots of a much larger story: a global melt that is happening faster and faster. The IPCC, the world’s leading authority on climate science, has stated with “very high confidence” that glaciers worldwide have been shrinking since the mid-1800s and that this process has hit the accelerator since the 1990s.
Data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) makes this acceleration crystal clear. Their “reference” glaciers have been losing ice for 37 years straight. Look at how quickly the rate of loss has increased:
- 1980s: Average annual mass loss was -171 millimeters of water equivalent.
- 1990s: Increased to -460 mm per year.
- 2000s: Reached -500 mm per year.
- 2010s: Surged to -889 mm per year.
To put it simply, the problem is not just ongoing—it’s getting worse, faster. In fact, five of the six years with the most extreme ice loss ever recorded have happened since 2019.
Why a Melting Glacier Thousands of Miles Away Matters to You
It’s easy to dismiss melting ice as a distant problem, but its disappearance has direct consequences for our oceans, our water supply, and our food.
1. Our Rising Oceans: When land-based ice melts, that water has to go somewhere. It flows into the sea, pushing ocean levels higher. Between 2000 and 2023, melting mountain glaciers added about 18 millimeters to global sea levels. Right now, they are the second-biggest contributor to sea-level rise, making them a major factor in increased coastal flooding and storm damage worldwide.
2. Our Freshwater Lifelines Are Disappearing: In many of the world’s most populated regions, glaciers act as giant, natural water tanks. They store water as ice and release it steadily during hot, dry summers when it’s needed most for drinking, farming, and electricity.
- The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau: Known as the “Third Pole,” these glaciers feed Asia’s ten largest rivers, providing water for nearly two billion people. Their retreat is a direct threat to the water and food security of a huge portion of the global population.
- The Andes: In Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, farming communities rely on this meltwater to survive the dry season. As these glaciers shrink, so does their lifeline.
- Central Asia: In this dry region, glaciers are the primary source of water. Tajikistan has already lost over 1,000 of its glaciers entirely.
Losing these “water towers” creates instability, threatening to disrupt everything from local farms to the global food supply chain.
The Cause Is Clear: The Scientific Consensus
What’s causing this dramatic melt? The scientific community speaks with one voice: it’s us. The IPCC states it is “unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land” and that this is the “main driver” of glacial retreat.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels has pumped huge amounts of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2), into the atmosphere. These gases act like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet. NASA confirms that the current warming is “clearly the result of human activities.” The proof is in the ice itself: air bubbles trapped in ancient ice cores show that today’s CO2 levels are the highest they’ve been in at least 800,000 years.
Our Future Is a Choice, Not a Foregone Conclusion
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by these facts, but the science also offers a clear and powerful message: the future isn’t set in stone. While we are already “locked in” to some future ice loss from past emissions, our actions today will determine how much of the world’s ice we can still save.
A 2023 study in the journal Science laid out the stakes clearly. By 2100, the world’s glaciers are projected to lose between 26% and 41% of their mass. Where we end up in that range is up to us.
- If we limit global warming to the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, we could save about half of the world’s glaciers.
- If we continue on our current path toward 2.7°C of warming, we are projected to lose about three-quarters of them.
That difference represents trillions of tons of ice and the stability of our freshwater supply. As study lead author David Rounce said, “our actions as a society can have a really big impact on glacier changes.” The photos show us what we stand to lose. The science shows us that the choice to act is still ours.
