As far as the climate crisis goes, time is of the essence. Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our time, and its impacts are seen in the world’s glaciers. Glaciers, once spectacular icons of the Earth’s pristine natural beauty, are melting at unprecedented rates as global temperatures rise. Amid this. The change in Switzerland’s Rhone Glacier over 15 years was recently captured by an X user. His post shocked everyone and highlighted the need for immediate action to mitigate further environmental degradation.
“Fifteen years minus one day between these photos. Taken at the Rhone glacier in Switzerland today. Not gonna lie, it made me cry,” X user Duncan Porter wrote alongside two pictures. Mr Porter and a woman were seen in the first picture, which was taken 15 years ago, with the vast white glacier in the background. In the second image, which is more recent, the glacier has greatly receded, providing a striking contrast to its beauty.
Fifteen years minus one day between these photos. Taken at the Rhone glacier in Switzerland today.
Not gonna lie, it made me cry. pic.twitter.com/Inz6uO1kum
— Duncan Porter (@misterduncan) August 4, 2024
Since being shared, the post has amassed over 3.9 million views and 76,000 likes on the microblogging platform.
“Same for me when I go to Graubuenden and see the state of the glaciers around the Bernina pass; the have reduced dramatically over the 25 years I have been going there,” said a user.
Another posted, “Oh… the snow… oh my goodness… We’re never going to GET back.”
A third person commented, “People grow old and hairlines, and glaciers recede. That’s life on earth! Long after we’re dust, glaciers will once again cover Earth. Fact.”
“Take a look at this photo and really let it rest with you for a moment,” commented a user.
“We used to think that #ClimateChange was a “slow-moving” problem. But an entire glacier just vanished in 15 years. We have no time to waste,” added a person.
Another wrote, “Visual aids always help explain things better.”
“Glaciers respond to climate not weather. And the climate is clearly changing,” said a person.
A user commented, “Humans failed this planet”
Meanwhile, last year the United Nations reported that the world’s glaciers melted at dramatic speed and saving them is effectively a lost cause, as climate change indicators once again hit record highs. The last eight years have been the warmest ever recorded, while concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide hit new peaks, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization said.
Sea levels are also at a record high, having risen by an average of 4.62 millimetres per year between 2013 and 2022 — double the annual rate between 1993 and 2002. Record high temperatures were also recorded in the oceans — where around 90 per cent of the heat trapped on Earth by greenhouse gases ends up.
