Iceland, one of the greenest countries on earth recently lost one of it’s glaciers to climate change & Global Warming. However, to preserve the memory of the natural heritage, the country did something unique.
Iceland is a Nordic island nation. It’s is known for its dramatic landscape. Lot’s of volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and lava fields are amongst the natural beauties of the country. However, the country recently lost it’s glacier Okjukull. Reason? Climate Change and Global Warming.

Around 100 people marched to the top of the glacier. The march was led by the country’s president. The crowd also included a number of climate researchers. The march took place on Sunday 18th August 2019. The gathering was held to conduct a funeral for the country’s first glacier to be lost to the man-made disasters.
“The symbolic death of a glacier is a warning to us, and we need action,” former Irish president Mary Robinson said at the event.
Scientists claim that this is just the beginning and about 400 other subarctic islands are at the risk of having the same fate.

As reported by AFP, a news agency “A bronze plaque will be unveiled to mark Okjukull (which means “Ok glacier”) in the west of Iceland. This will be done in the presence of local researchers and their peers at Rice University, USA, the people who initiated this project.”
Cymene Howe, an associate professor of anthropology at Rice University, said “This will be the 1st monument dedicated to a glacier which we lost to climate change. It is 1st such monument, anywhere in the world.”
It is also reported that the Plaque will have the words engraved “A letter to the future”. This is because the researchers want to raise awareness about global warming and how the world is losing its glaciers and natural beauty to it.
The plaque will further read “In the next 200 years, all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”

The plaque will also contain a label “415 ppm CO2”. It is the record of the level of carbon dioxide as was measured in the atmosphere in May 2018.
As reported by the University of Iceland In 2017, the glacier-covered area with ice by around 16 Kms (6.2 square miles) in 1890. However, in 2012, it only measured 700 metres.

“Memorials around the world, either stand for human accomplishments, like the deeds of historical figures, or the losses and deaths we recognise as important,” researcher Howe said, as quoted by AFP. Well, indeed losing a natural heritage to one of the man-made disasters, is a great loss for the planet as a whole.
As per a study conducted by (IUCN) the International Union for Conservation of Nature in April 2019, the world may lose 21000 glaciers which are close to half of the world’s heritage sites. This is if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate.
As believed by many researchers and as per the study of many experts, it is estimated that the earth’s average global temperature will increase by 2-degree-Celsius. If we sincerely mean to save our planet from the effects of Global Warming and climate change, then we have very little time to bring a dramatic change.