Himalayan Glacier Loss Speeding Up, New Report Finds
New York TimesJUL 2023
The Spin
Narrative A
The melting of glaciers has consequences much more significant than the discovery of long-lost climbers. Around half of the glaciers in the Alps are in Switzerland, where temperatures are rising by around twice the global average. If nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all glaciers in Switzerland and Europe risk melting almost entirely by the end of the century.
Narrative B
Almost every summer, the melting ice of the Alpine ice field uncovers things or people lost decades ago and creates an opportunity for archaeologists to expand their understanding of how mountain life has changed through the millennia. Who knows what else lies beneath the melting mountain landscapes, waiting to be discovered?
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf will collapse by January 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
