Venezuela has become the first country in modern history to lose all its glaciers, highlighting the urgent reality of climate change. Scientists have reclassified the Humboldt Glacier, Venezuela’s last remaining glacier, as an ice field, signaling the end of an era for the Andean nation.
The disappearance of Venezuela’s glaciers
A historical perspective
Once home to six glaciers nestled at 5,000 meters above sea level in the Andes mountains, Venezuela saw its glaciers begin to vanish, with five disappearing by 2011. The Humboldt glacier, expected to survive another decade, melted faster than anticipated, shrinking to an area of less than 2 hectares. This rapid reduction led to its reclassification from a glacier to an ice field earlier this month.
Global trends
The accelerated melting of the Humboldt glacier mirrors a global pattern. Glaciers worldwide are shrinking faster than predicted, with two-thirds expected to vanish by 2100 if current climate trends persist, according to a 2023 study.
Understanding glaciers
Definition and formation
Glaciers are immense, thick masses of ice formed on land from the accumulation of snow over centuries. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they form in regions where mean annual temperatures hover near the freezing point, winter precipitation results in significant snow buildup, and temperatures throughout the year do not fully melt the previous winter’s snow.
Characteristics
Glaciers flow like extremely slow rivers due to their mass and gravity. Although there is no universal consensus on the minimum size required for a mass of ice to be classified as a glacier, the USGS suggests a commonly accepted guideline of around 10 hectares.
Causes of glacier disappearance
Global warming
The primary driver of glacier melting is global warming. Like ice cubes exposed to heat, glaciers are melting due to rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs). Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, human activities such as burning fossil fuels have released GHGs like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, leading to an increase in global temperatures. Since 1880, the global average temperature has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius, triggering more frequent and severe heatwaves, floods, droughts, and glacier melting.
Regional impacts
In the Andes, temperatures have increased at a rate of 0.10 degrees Celsius over the past seven decades, contributing significantly to Venezuela’s loss of glaciers. The Humboldt glacier’s melting was further accelerated by the El Niño phenomenon, which developed in July 2023, causing abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and raising temperatures.
Expert insights
“In the Andean area of Venezuela, there have been some months with anomalies of +3C to +4C above the 1991-2020 average, which is exceptional at those tropical latitudes,” climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera told The Guardian.
A global perspective
India is also at risk, with glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges melting at unprecedented rates. A 2023 report warned that up to 80% of their volume could be lost this century if GHG emissions are not drastically reduced.
Impacts of glacier loss
Freshwater supply
Glaciers are a vital source of freshwater for local communities, plants, and animals, especially during hot, dry periods. Their disappearance would force reliance solely on spot rainfall for freshwater.
Ecosystem effects
Cold water runoff from glaciers helps maintain cooler downstream water temperatures, crucial for many aquatic species that require cold water to survive. Glacier loss directly threatens these species, which are integral to the food web.
Sea level rise
Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, also considered glaciers, are the largest contributors to global sea level rise. However, Venezuela’s Humboldt glacier lacked sufficient ice to significantly affect sea levels.
Cultural impact
For Venezuela, the cultural impact of losing all its glaciers is profound. “Glaciers were a part of the region’s cultural identity, and for mountaineering and touristic activities,” ecologist Luis Daniel Llambi told The Guardian.
The reclassification of the Humboldt glacier underscores the immediate and far-reaching consequences of climate change, reminding us that this is not a problem of the future but a crisis demanding urgent action today.