We flew to the southern-most glaciers, ones that we’ve not seen since 2018," said Lorrey on the back of this year’s trip.

“One is now two thirds of the size it was on our last visit,” he added.

The institute said that New Zealand had experienced seven of its hottest years on record over the past decade.

Even if this trend was to be reversed, Lorrey said that many glaciers were too far gone to be saved.

“Even if we got a few cooler seasons, they wouldn’t be enough to undo the damage that’s already been done,” he said.

“That’s how stark it is, and it’s not just happening in New Zealand but all over the world.”

  • @Axisential
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    23 months ago

    On my more optimistic days I see a future where plentiful, cheap energy (ie fusion) can drive technology that will halt, perhaps even reverse the damage we’ve done. And perhaps that’s even compatible with capitalism, as there are potential profits to be made.

    More often though I see a difficult, painful future for the human species, with massive famines, human displacement and wars over the resources that remain. I hope I’m wrong.

    • @NoRamyunForYou
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      13 months ago

      Similar here. I don’t know too much about it other than reading some articles and going down mini rabbit holes of surface level research, but it really seems Fusion is something the entire world should be a lot more invested in.