The Corona Glacier, Humboldt Peak, Venezuela, in 2019. Photo: José Manuel Romero/AP.
Venezuelan scientists have slowed the melting of the country’s last remaining glacier, located on Humboldt Peak in the Sierra Nevada, by 35%, extending its life by one year and six months.
This was reported by Venezuelan Minister of Ecosocialism Josué Lorca, who shared the progress of the program for the protection of the Corona Glacier.
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“Since 2018, we have implemented measures, such as the prohibition of passage and the modification of routes for mountaineers, thus preventing accelerated melting,” he stated. “This year, we placed a geotextile blanket, an innovative technique used in polar glaciers, aimed at mitigating the melting of this tropical glacier.”
Despite efforts to reduce melting, the tropical glacier is projected to lose its total ice mass by December 2025.
Lorca stated that Venezuela is the first tropical country to implement practices to reduce glacial melting. Experts are involved in monitoring the implementation of protocols and behavior of geological and climatic elements in these areas. The minister described the work as a direct contribution to the fight against climate change in the Andean region.
“The Venezuelan government firmly considers that our glacier remains a glacier until its last centimeter of ice,” he emphasized.
Tropical countries like Venezuela are experiencing the most severe effects of the global climate crisis, of which accelerated glacial melting is a significant aspect.
(Últimas Noticias) by Kleybergel González
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
