Venezuela loses all its glaciers

Venezuela’s last known glacier was reclassified as an ice field recently, as it shrunk further down from 4 hectares in 2019 to less than 2 hectares. It is the first country in modern history to lose all of its glaciers.

In 1910, all six glaciers of the country were intact, But by 2011, just one was left standing: the Humboldt glacier, also known as La Corona, located near the country’s second-highest mountain, Pico Humboldt.

Climate factors like El Nino and human-induced global warming have played a major role in exacerbating the glacier meltdown.

A piece of ice is considered a glacier if it covers at least 0.1 square kilometers.

The Humboldt glacier, which shrank to 0.02 square kilometers, carried ecological and cultural significance, and its disappearance impacts water resources and cultural identity in Venezuela, according to researchers.

Warning
Climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera predicts Indonesia, Mexico and Slovenia are next to lose their glaciers.

Also, Indonesia’s Mount Ibu volcano erupted over the weekend, shooting ash and smoke 5,000 meters into the sky on Monday. The country has 120 active volcanoes and is along seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean, making it prone to constant volcanic activity.