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The ice cap in Africas highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro gleams on December 13, 2009
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Agence France-Presse (AFP)
The ice cap in Africas highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro gleams on December 13, 2009
The ice cap in Africas highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro gleams on December 13, 2009. According to a recent study by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) the ice sheet that capped Kilimanjaro in 2007 was 85 percent smaller than the one that covered its plateau in 1912. The mountains ice cover shrank about 1 percent a year from 1912 to 1953, a rate that has accelerated in recent years. From 1989 to 2007, that rate jumped to 2.5 percent a year. Since 2000, the plateaus three remaining ice fields have shrunk by 26 percent, scientists found. If current conditions persist, climate change experts say, Kilimanjaros world-renowned glaciers, which have covered Africas highest peak for centuries, will be gone within the next two decades. World leaders struggled to nail down a climate pact Friday in Copenhagen, amid dismay and alarm among nations most at risk from global warming. A draft of a pact contained a call to prevent a rise in global temperatures of more than 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times, the figure fell way short of the demands of threatened island nations. AFP PHOTO/ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT
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This print captures the majestic ice cap on Africa's highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro, gleaming under the December sun in 2009. However, behind this stunning image lies a sobering reality. According to a study by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), the ice sheet that once covered Kilimanjaro has dramatically diminished over time. In 1912, Kilimanjaro's plateau was enveloped by an expansive ice cover. Yet, by 2007, it had shrunk to a mere 15 percent of its former size. The rate at which these glaciers have been disappearing is alarming; from 1912 to 1953, they receded at about 1 percent per year but accelerated to a staggering rate of 2.5 percent annually between 1989 and 2007. Scientists warn that if current conditions persist due to climate change, these world-renowned glaciers could vanish within two decades. This revelation adds urgency to global efforts aimed at combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The timing of this photograph coincides with world leaders' struggle in Copenhagen for a comprehensive climate pact that would limit global temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels—a figure deemed insufficient by nations most vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by melting polar ice caps. As we admire this breathtaking image captured by Roberto Schmidt from Agence France-Presse (AFP), let us remember that it serves as both a reminder and call-to-action regarding our collective responsibility towards preserving Earth's natural wonders for future generations.
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