Flew to Iceland and saw tourists acting like the glaciers are a theme park attraction

I was in Vik last month and watched people climb over safety ropes to take selfies right next to a melting ice face. The signs clearly said stay back 30 meters due to falling ice risk. But nobody cared because they wanted that perfect shot for the gram. Are we really fighting for climate action if we treat the places we're supposed to protect like disposable backdrops?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.holly1mo ago

The glaciers in Iceland are actually receding so fast that some have lost over a meter of ice thickness per year, not just melting back at the edges. Makes the whole "stay back or it might fall on you" warning even more urgent than people realize.

the_rowan1mo ago

Exactly. People think "receding" just means the edge pulls back a bit, but the whole glacier thinning out is a whole different level of scary. That layer of ice getting skinnier makes it way more unstable, (like a house with weak walls) so every warning sign matters even more than it used to. It's one of those things where the change is happening so fast you can see it year to year, not just generation to generation.

claire_grant341mo ago

Check the ice depth charts before you even step near the base - saved my friend last summer.