The treasured 'eternal snow' on this tropical island is about to disappear forever
Climate change is transforming Papua's snowy peaks, which hold scientific value and spiritual significance.
The treasured eternal snow atop Papua's mountains, once a century-old spectacle, is facing imminent disappearance. The Sudirman Range, a 300km stretch in this Indonesian region on the world's second-largest island, has seen the transition from snow-covered peaks to barren landscapes. The glaciers, which were once nearly 1,900 hectares in coverage, have now dwindled to just 16 hectares.
Climate change, primarily driven by human activities like fossil fuel burning, is the main culprit behind this transformation. As global temperatures rise, the freezing point of water shifts higher up the mountains, causing precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. This shift is accelerating the retreat of glaciers, even in areas that once experienced regular snowfall.
The glaciers' retreat not only threatens a unique biological habitat but also dismantles a culturally significant landscape, as evidenced by the spiritual ties of the indigenous communities to the mountain.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
