Glaciers across the globe have lost over nine trillion tonnes of ice in half a century. How will glaciers look over the coming decades? “It all depends on what humans are doing now in terms of greenhouse gas emissions:” this is the message one scientist delivered during an ESA-led expedition to the Gorner Glacier in Switzerland – one of the biggest ice masses in the Alps.
As world leaders gather for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties, watch the exclusive premiere of the documentary that follows ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, along with a team of glaciologists and climate experts, on their journey across the Alps to learn how rising global temperatures are taking their toll on glaciers.
The documentary features breathtaking scenery of the Gorner Glacier as well as interviews with climate specialists as they explain how we can monitor glaciers using both satellite data and in situ measurements.
The documentary features interviews with:
- Luca Parmitano, ESA astronaut
- Simonetta Cheli, Head of Strategy, Programme & Coordination Office, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, ESA (as of January 1, 2022: ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes)
- Susanne Mecklenburg, Head of ESA’s Climate Office
- Anna Maria Trofaier, Cryosphere scientist, ESA Climate Office
- Frank Paul, Senior Researcher at the University of Zurich
- Alessio Romeo, Geologist at La Venta – Esplorazioni Geografiche
- Daniel Farinotti, Glaciologist at ETH Zurich
“Nine trillion tonnes” is a big number, obviously intended to impress and scare people. Nine trillion dollars is about 1/3 the US National Debt, but not something that anyone, including members of Congress, can really relate to or appreciate. It is a number that is so big that it is almost as incomprehensible as infinity. It would be slightly more meaningful if a volume were presented; however, to put it into context, what SHOULD be presented is the percentage of the total volume of all the world’s glaciers. Why wasn’t that done? Probably because it wouldn’t look scary.
Scientists are supposed to be objective, disinterested observers. This sounds more like the sales pitch of a salesman who warns that you had better buy now because at this price it won’t last long! That is, it is an appeal to emotions to manipulate the customer, rather than a rational presentation of all the facts. It is a sad commentary on the state of climatology when those who call themselves climatologists resort to this type of trickery, and routinely ignore the proper use of significant figures and associated uncertainties in measurements. Is it any wonder that many people have lost confidence in what scientists say?