Venezuela has lost its last remaining glacier, the Humboldt glacier also known as La Corona, which has been reclassified as an ice field after shrinking to less than 2 hectares, The Guardian reports.
Previously, Venezuela had six glaciers in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida mountain range, but five had disappeared by 2011. The Humboldt glacier was expected to last another decade, but recent assessments revealed it melted faster than anticipated. Venezuela is now the first country in modern times to lose all its glaciers.
Experts warn that Indonesia, Mexico, and Slovenia may soon follow. Climate change, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, has accelerated glacier loss. The loss of glaciers in Venezuela, while not critical for water supply, significantly impacts the region’s cultural identity and ecosystems. Efforts to save the glacier, such as using thermal blankets, are deemed ineffective.
