| Mount Kilimanjaro was made famous in the western | | | | source of water for the river Nile. Many villages in the |
| world by the acclaimed writer Ernest Hemingway, | | | | Mount Kilimanjaro region depend on the snow and ice |
| who wrote the short story "The Snows of | | | | melt water. Animals on the plains surrounding the |
| Kilimanjaro" in the 1930's. | | | | mountain are now dying and many plant species are |
| When you think of Africa, snow is usually one of the | | | | also at risk. |
| last things that comes to mind, but Mount Kilimanjaro | | | | With the disappearance of the caps, scientists will |
| in Tanzania had a substantial snow and ice capped | | | | also lose an important climate record spanning back |
| peak for over 11 thousand years. I say "had" as it's | | | | thousands of years. This record is contained in ice |
| rapidly disappearing. This is yet another example of | | | | core layers that are similar to the annual growth rings |
| how a natural wonder that seemed so permanent | | | | on trees, indicating rainfall and other historical climate |
| has apparently fallen victim to man's destructive | | | | related events. |
| ways. | | | | While there's still some debate amongst the scientific |
| In the last one hundred years, it's estimated Mount | | | | community as to what is causing the receding ice; |
| Kilimanjaro's ice cap volume has dropped by more | | | | the general consensus is carbon dioxide fueled global |
| than 80%. In 1901, there was approximately 12.1 | | | | warming related climate change. Again. |
| square kilometres of ice on the mountain. Aerial | | | | It's an odd distinction our generation has - bearing |
| photographs taken in 2000 showed only 2.2 sq km | | | | witnesses to some of the greatest global |
| remaining. The truly disturbing point is that most of | | | | environmental upheavals for tens of thousands of |
| the loss has occurred since 1970. | | | | years; and perhaps a "privilege" that we'd prefer not |
| What little remains of the glaciers atop Mount | | | | to have. Who would have thought that a single |
| Kilimanjaro are expected to disappear within the next | | | | animal, man, could exact such a toll so quickly across |
| 20 years. | | | | the entire planet; even in areas we've barely set foot |
| Mt Kilimanjaro's importance far exceeds a nice photo | | | | on. |
| opportunity or inspiration for a novel. The ice cap | | | | How will our children's children judge us? |
| was crucial to the surrounding area and it's also a | | | | |