'It made me cry': Viral photos of Swiss glacier taken 15 years apart show impact of climate change
Photos of a couple posing in the same spot of the Swiss Alps 15 years apart have gone viral, after they showed the devastating impact of climate change and the speed at which glaciers are melting.
Duncan Porter and his wife Helen posted the photos on X and attracted the attention of millions of people, sparking both heartbreak and criticism from users.
The photos show the British couple posing in front of the same spot of the Rhône glacier in August 2009 and August 2024.
In the photo from 2009, the ice completely fills the background. However, in 2024, the white ice has visibly melted, and in its place is a grey rock and a lake.
Posting on X, Porter said: "Fifteen years minus one day between these photos. Taken at the Rhone glacier in Switzerland today.
"Not gonna lie, it made me cry."
Porter and his wife returned to the spot with their teenage daughters, Maisie and Emily, in a hope to recreate the photo.
"But obviously the circumstance of this photo was drastically different,” Porter told the Guardian.
Helen Porter said: “I thought it was really unbelievable.”
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Switzerland is home to the most glaciers of any country in Europe.
However, in two years, 10% of the country's glaciers ice volume has disappeared as a result of low snowfall and rising temperatures, according to data from the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
In 2022, the total glacier volume decreased by 6% - the biggest decrease since measurements began. This was closely followed by 2023 which had a 4% drop, the figures show.
The reduction over the last two years was the same as what was lost in the period between 1960 and 1990, the Swiss Academy of Sciences said.
Many users on X reacted in shock to the visible change in the glacier, with the post being viewed 4.2 million times as of Tuesday.
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