Key facts
- Papua's Sudirman Range, home to 'eternal snow' for centuries, is losing its glaciers due to rising global temperatures.
- The glaciers are expected to disappear completely within one to two years.
- Glacier cover has reduced from approximately 1,900 hectares in the 19th century to about 16 hectares currently.
- Scientists use ice cores from Puncak Jaya to study Earth's climate history and changes in the planet's warmest ocean waters.
- The retreat of these glaciers is attributed to human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels.
- The mountains hold deep spiritual significance for Indigenous Papuan groups, who view the ice as a symbol of purity and integrity.
The 'eternal snow' on Papua's Sudirman Range, a tropical island near Australia, is rapidly disappearing due to global warming. Once a vast expanse of snow and permanent ice across four major peaks, only small patches remain around Puncak Jaya, also known as Carstensz Pyramid. These are expected to vanish within the next year or two.
Glacier cover has dramatically shrunk from nearly 1,900 hectares in the 19th century to about 16 hectares today. Danish researcher Klaus Thymann's team has documented a 95% recession of the glaciated area between the early 2000s and 2025. Scientists like Marie Šabacká, a Czech glacier ecologist, are racing to study the unique ice cores from Puncak Jaya, which preserve a record of climate history, before they are lost.
The retreat is driven by rising global temperatures caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. As temperatures increase, the freezing point rises, leading to more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. El Niño events can accelerate this process.
Beyond their scientific value, these glaciers hold immense spiritual significance for Indigenous Papuan groups, including the Moni and Amungme people. They are seen as symbols of honesty, purity, and moral integrity, and their disappearance is likened to the destruction of sacred sites like Mecca or the Vatican. The region has also seen extensive environmental degradation and social conflict due to the development of large-scale mining projects, such as Freeport's Grasberg mine.