The Andes Mountains, after the impact of climate change, have lost 56% of their glaciers in the last six decades. What is known today as the story of Society of the Snow, portrays an event that took place in 1972 when a group of Uruguayans undertook a trip that ended in a survival accident. Some theories claim that at that time, the 16 survivors of the plane crash were only able to make it because the Andes were frozen, but if it had happened in 2024, the story would have been different. And, currently, both the snow and the cold climate have had a change in the Andes Mountains that worries institutions such as UNESCO.
What Would Be the Fate of the Society of the Snow Plane in 2024?
Let us remember that the Uruguayan plane crashed at 3,500 meters above sea level, in a part of the Andes Mountains, caused by flying at low altitude. Thanks to the photos, it is known that the plane lost its two wings and its tail after the impact and slid on the snow. This for 2 and a half kilometers, the plane stopped until reaching the well-known Valley of Tears in Mendoza. All this happened thanks to the amount of snow that cushioned their fall and allowed them to slide. The main reason why they claim that without snow, even the very name Society of the Snow would not exist in our vocabulary to refer to the accident of the Uruguayans.
According to studies by the University of Santiago de Chile, the Andes Mountains lost 1/3 of its snow cover in the last 30 years, researchers managed to reveal this from satellite images from recent decades. According to the analysis, around 10% of snow cover is lost each year.
Climate Change’s Main Catastrophic Factor
The factors that cause it are diverse, but the main one is the decrease in precipitation caused by climate change. A critical situation since losing snow and glaciers in the Cordillera means losing freshwater reserves. Every year, the increase in CO2 emissions causes an increase in temperatures, consequently the thaws accelerate their pace. This situation will have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who live in the high areas of the Andes since Water from melting glaciers is a fundamental source of water for them, UNESCO warned.
However it does not stop there, half of humanity depends directly or indirectly on glaciers as a source of water for domestic, agricultural, and energy use. Glaciers are also pillars of biodiversity since they feed many ecosystems.
The Andes Mountains Before vs. Now
If you saw Society of the Snow, although they were filmed in real locations, the production team went to the Valley of Tears three times to gather information, that is, capture the real backgrounds, but most of the filming was done in the highest area of Sierra Nevada, Spain, CNN reports. Therefore, it is not what the Andes look like in 2024. So, for that reason, we show you the before and after of this Cordillera.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera.
