Narrow, but over 4,000 kilometres long, Chile is home to 4% of the world’s and 80% of South America’s glaciers. Located in the Andes mountain range, they provide a vitally important water resource but are under threat from global warming.
The host country of the UN’s COP25 international climate talks, Chile is working on a new inventory of its glaciers. With only half of the assessment carried out, the outlook is already worrying.
Except for three, all of the glaciers inventoried in Chile are retreating. Many have fragmented, which further accelerates melting. Along with climate change, industrial activities like mining pose big threats.
