In a world where climate change often feels like a distant, abstract threat, the Glacier Graveyard in Iceland served as a stark, emotional wake-up call. Last year, sculptor Ottó Magnússon carved headstones from ice, each bearing the name of a glacier lost or waning due to global warming. These ephemeral monuments stood in a windswept field by the sea, melting away as a poignant reminder of what we stand to lose. Among the names etched into the ice were Pico Humboldt, Venezuela’s last glacier, now gone; Anderson Glacier in Washington, U.S., disappeared in 2011; Kilimanjaro, Africa’s final remaining glacier; and Aujuittuq in Canada, its Inuit name a bitter irony as it now thaws.
The Glacier Graveyard was more than just a memorial; it was a call to action. As we approach March 21, 2025, global leaders, scientists, and policymakers will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Paris to mark the first-ever World Day for Glaciers. This event, sandwiched between World Water Day and World Meteorological Day, underscores the urgency of the situation. The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate report, released to coincide with these events, paints a grim picture. The past 18 years have seen the 18 lowest Arctic sea-ice extents on record, with the three lowest Antarctic ice extents occurring in the past three years. The largest three-year loss of glacier mass on record also happened in the past three years. In 2024, global mean sea level reached a record high, a stark indicator of the accelerating impacts of climate change.
The stakes are high. Over 200,000 glaciers worldwide cover around 700,000 km2 of the Earth’s surface, and over 2 billion people rely on glacier and snowmelt for freshwater. Ice loss from glaciers contributed around 21% of the total sea-level rise over the period 1993–2018, a significant portion of the total. Projections indicate that one-third of glacier sites could disappear by 2050. This is not just a environmental issue; it’s a humanitarian crisis in the making.
The Glacier Graveyard and the upcoming World Day for Glaciers aim to make the conversation about climate change more tangible. “The conversation about climate change can be very abstract,” said Rice University anthropologist Cymene Howe back in 2019 when the first memorial of its kind was unveiled in Iceland. “But the glaciers of the world do not need to die. They can continue to live, and to thrive, if we, collectively, can choose a better way into the future.”
Howe’s words echo the sentiment behind the Glacier Graveyard and the Global Glacier Casualty List, launched in 2024. This list, a first of its kind, aims to humanize the impacts of climate change, making it personal and urgent. As we stand on the precipice of significant environmental change, these initiatives challenge us to act, to feel, and to understand that the fate of the glaciers is inextricably linked to our own.
The maritime industry, with its deep ties to the oceans and climate, has a crucial role to play. The trends highlighted by the World Meteorological Organization’s report should serve as a wake-up call. The industry must not only adapt to these changes but also lead the charge in mitigating them. From reducing emissions to advocating for stronger climate policies, the maritime sector has the power to shape a more sustainable future.
The Glacier Graveyard, the World Day for Glaciers, and the Global Glacier Casualty List are more than just symbolic gestures. They are calls to action, urging us to confront the reality of climate change and take bold steps to address it. As we stand on the brink of significant environmental change, the maritime industry must rise to the challenge, leading the way towards a more sustainable and resilient future. The fate of the glaciers, and indeed the planet, depends on it.
