2023-11-24 14:27:59
The Peruvian Andes near the four thousand eight hundred meter high Llaucha Punta Image: Gerald Koll
White peaks in the tropics – this tourist attraction is also disappearing at an alarming rate because the earth is warming quickly. Half of Peru’s glacier area is now gone, and it’s not just ice that’s being lost.
In the Peruvian Andes, glacial ice has decreased by more than half due to climate change. This was announced by the Ministry of the Environment in Lima. According to the latest measurements, glaciers have retreated by 1,348 square kilometers since 1962, said the National Research Institute for Glaciers and Ecosystems. Peru is home to the majority of the world’s tropical glaciers.
The Pastoruri glacier has lost more than 50 percent of its ice surface and is one of the most affected mountains, the institute said. “This process leads to the formation of new lakes,” it said. The 5250 meter high Pastoruri in the northern Ancash region is one of the main attractions of Peruvian mountain tourism.
In Peru, around seventy percent of the glaciers are in tropical regions. “Tropical glaciers are of great importance and interest because they are excellent, sensitive indicators of climate change,” the institute said. At the same time, they are an important source of water for a large part of the population. The study of ice retreat was carried out in 20 mountain ranges with glaciers, located in 14 out of 25 departments in Peru.
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