Trying hard to capture the ‘last piece of ice’ in the Andes Mountains
The South American country of Venezuela is struggling to preserve the last remaining glaciers in the Andes Mountains. [사진출처 = 연합뉴스]
The South American country of Venezuela is struggling to preserve the ‘last ice cap’ remaining in its mountainous regions.
AFP reported on the 6th (local time) that Venezuelan environmental authorities recently transported a cover made of special fiber polymer material to the alpine area to protect the Humboldt Glacier in the Sierra Nevada National Park in Mérida, a mountainous Andean region.
The news agency introduced that this cover, which was made to prevent the glacier from being exposed to strong sunlight, is made up of 35 pieces.
Authorities explained that two Air Force helicopters and about 100 personnel were mobilized to transport items weighing 80 kg per piece to the summit at 4,900 meters above sea level.
Previously, on the 22nd of last month, Mérida Governor Jison Guzmán posted on his social media, “We will prevent the glacier from melting by reducing the sun’s rays hitting the rocks surrounding the glacier,” and “A patriotic hero working to protect Venezuela’s last glacier.” “I’m proud to be part of the team,” he wrote.
However, it has not been confirmed whether this cover is actually around the glacier.
If Venezuela fails to save its last glaciers, it will become the first country to completely lose its mountain glaciers.
AFP reported that about 10 square kilometers of glaciers have disappeared in Venezuela over the past 100 years.
Professor Julio César Centeno, advisor to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), emphasized in an AFP interview, “We should assume that there are no glaciers in Venezuela anymore,” and “all that is here are pieces of ice.”
Professor Centeno points out that the current Humboldt Glacier is difficult to consider a ‘glacier’ because scientists generally set the minimum area guideline for an ice mass that can be called a glacier to be 0.1㎢.
Some were concerned that this special cover could destroy the environment.
If the cover decomposes over a certain period of time, microplastics can move into nearby crops, lagoons, and the air, which can have a fatal impact on people, animals and plants.
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2024-03-06 23:04:51
