Venezuela has made history by becoming the first country in modern times to lose all its glaciers. Climate scientists recently declared that Venezuela's last remaining glacier, the Humboldt Glacier, has dwindled to just two hectares, now classified as an ice field rather than a glacier. This transformation marks a significant environmental shift, especially considering that Venezuela had lost at least five other glaciers over the past century due to the impacts of climate change.
While there isn't a globally standardized minimum size requirement for an ice mass to qualify as a glacier, the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that 10 hectares is a commonly accepted threshold. Glaciologists James Kirkham of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative and Miriam Jackson of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development explained to the BBC that a glacier is defined as an "ice mass that deforms under its own weight."
Mark Maslin, a professor of earth system sciences at University College London, highlighted the fundamental distinction between glaciers and ice fields like Humboldt, noting that glaciers are characterized by their ability to fill valleys. At the turn of the 20th century, Venezuela boasted six glaciers covering a total area of 386 square miles. Humboldt Glacier alone spanned 450 hectares, but according to researchers at the University of Los Andes in Colombia, it has now shrunk to just two hectares.
A study conducted in 2020 revealed that the glacial area in Venezuela had decreased by 98% between 1952 and 2019, with the rate of retreat accelerating to nearly 17% per year from 2016 to 2019. The loss of glaciers not only affects cultural identity but also contributes to rising sea levels.
In an attempt to mitigate the disappearance of the ice field, the Venezuelan government placed a thermal blanket over it in December, similar to those used in European countries to protect ski slopes from warm weather. However, climate scientists criticized this measure, warning that the synthetic cover would degrade over time, contaminating the environment with microplastics.
Maslin explained that mountain glaciers play a crucial role in reflecting the sun's rays and maintaining cooler temperatures in the summer months. With the Humboldt Glacier having lost so much ice, reversing the melt is now extremely challenging.
Kirkham and Jackson cautioned that between 20% and 80% of glaciers worldwide could disappear by 2100, with a portion of this loss already inevitable due to carbon emissions. They emphasized that significantly reducing emissions could potentially save other glaciers, leading to substantial benefits for livelihoods, as well as energy, water, and food security.
Herrera mentioned on X that Indonesia, Mexico, and Slovenia are the next countries most likely to face glacier extinction, a prediction supported by Maslin due to their proximity to the equator and the vulnerability of their low-lying ice caps to global warming.