Voice of America
23 Sep 2019, 05:35 GMT+10
Hundreds of mourners gathered Sunday to commemorate the loss of yet another European glacier.
Dressed in mourning clothes, they hiked for hours in the Glarus Alps in eastern Switzerland to reach the remnants of the Pizol glacier at 2,600 meters above sea level.
The glacier has lost more than 80% of its volume since 2006.
"I have climbed up here countless times," Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich university, told the mourners. "It is like the dying of a good friend."
Will US Republicans Feel the Heat from Climate Change? Friday's Strike for Climate Change was just one more example of the pressure that lawmakers, including from their own constituents, are feeling
Last month, About 100 people, including Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, held a similar ceremony for 700-year-old Okjokull, the first Icelandic glacier lost to climate change.
"We can't save the Pizol glacier anymore. ... Let's do everything we can, so that we can show our children and grandchildren a glacier here in Switzerland a hundred years from now," Huss told the gathering.
His call came just two days after millions around the world went on a strike for climate change, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
The funeral was organized by the activist group Swiss Association for Climate Protection which has collected more than 100,000 signatures to launch an initiative demanding the country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
The Swiss government has voiced its support for the move.
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: As global inflation remains stubborn and growth prospects dim, central bankers from around the world gathered in Tokyo...
HONOLULU, Hawaii: A man from Oregon, Oliver Widger, has arrived in Hawaii after sailing across the ocean with his cat, Phoenix. He...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, used a major religious event over the weekend to criticize...
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico: In a first-of-its-kind judicial election in Mexico, more than 5,000 candidates are vying for over 840 federal...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
DUBLIN, Ireland: An Irish High Court judge has allowed the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) to begin a class action-style lawsuit...
PARIS, France: French farmers brought traffic to a crawl around Paris and gathered outside the National Assembly on May 26, using their...
HANOI, Vietnam: Amid shifting global trade dynamics and growing concerns over U.S. tariffs, France and Vietnam have signed more than...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The head of Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE), Bernard Gloster, has said he is very concerned about claims...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union antitrust regulators are examining fees imposed by payment giants Visa and Mastercard, Bloomberg...