Glaciers in the Andes are shrinking rapidly due to rising global temperatures caused by climate change. The changes are having a profound impact on the region’s ecosystems and the people who depend on them. Francisco Gallardo, a 60-year-old muleteer who has worked on Chile’s El Plomo Mountain since he was 14, said, “Every year, things are changing more.
Every year, there’s more sadness.” Gallardo believes his family, who have worked at El Plomo for generations, have about a decade left before they are forced to move. The route to the summit of El Plomo follows the same path paved by the Incas, with archaeological remnants scattered along the way. A few years ago, the last push to the summit required a glacier traverse.
Now, the final ascent is a rocky hillside. Pablo Wainstein, a civil engineer who has studied Andean and Arctic glaciers and permafrost for more than two decades, said, “The changes we’re seeing are unprecedented in recent human history.”
The Andes are home to approximately 99 percent of the world’s tropical glaciers, which are more susceptible to climate change because they’re consistently near or at the freezing point. Data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows global temperatures have increased by 0.06 Celsius per decade since 1850, accelerating to 0.20 C per decade since 1982.
Andean glacial retreat impacts livelihoods
The Andes are an essential part of the region’s water cycle. During the winter, the mountains store water as snow and ice, which slowly melts during warmer months.
They supply millions across the region with water for drinking, agriculture, hydroelectricity, and mining. Glacial retreat has exposed acidic rocks for the first time in centuries, causing meltwater to acidify and become contaminated with heavy metals that leach into other dwindling water supplies in the region. Erratic and heavy rainfall has degraded the ecosystems, making them more susceptible to erosion, landslides, and severe floods.
Octavio Salazar, an Indigenous Quechua climber who has spent decades climbing mountains in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, said, “We feel like the climate has had such drastic changes that they often put everything you knew in doubt.
Edson Ramirez, a park ranger and risk assessor for Huascaran National Park, said, “Raindrops at 5,000 meters aren’t common or natural. It’s an indicator that pressure and temperature are completely altered.”
Despite the risks, climbers and guides remain committed to the mountains. Cristian Ramirez, the head of Chile’s mountain rescue unit in Santiago, said, “Anything humans do has some level of risk, but we’re not going to stop enjoying our mountains because of that.
The Andes are the backbone of this territory.
