Posted January 28, 2018 06:03:00In an article on the Fiji Times website, the National Geographic explorer and conservationist, Mark Hulme, reports on how the country’s fragile glaciers have been disappearing for years.
Hulme writes:”In Fiji, glaciers have disappeared for the past 30 years.
The glacier that provides the bedrock of the country has disappeared, too.
A series of devastating floods in the late 1990s and early 2000s destroyed most of the island’s pristine mountain snowfields.
Today, the fragile ice caps are disappearing.”
The article continues:”For decades, Fiji has been experiencing the slow, steady disappearance of its glaciers.
And in recent years, the collapse of the glaciers has accelerated.
Since 2013, the number of glaciers has declined by more than 90 percent, and they are now declining even faster than before the floods.”
The story states that the destruction of glaciers is not only a global phenomenon.
It has been reported by other nations, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as some local governments.HULME adds:”Fiji’s glaciers are a key part of the ecosystem.
In fact, a recent study from the University of Tasmania found that if you remove glaciers, it is a significant economic and social driver for a country.
And a large portion of the glacier losses are caused by mining.”
