One of the highlights of the recent trip to the US was a dedicated helicopter shoot over Glacier National Park in Montana.
As I have written about the trials and tribulations of aerial shooting in a previous article, I will save all the technical talk for now. Instead, the most noticeable aspect of taking to the skies was the view of receding glaciers in virtually every corner of the park.
One of the insidious aspects of global warming is the fact that most of us ‘city dwellers’ have yet to feel the first-hand effects of our actions. If proof were needed that we are on a collision course with Mother Nature then one need only venture to the skies for a view of the damage which is already being inflicted.
Although temperature oscillations have always occurred in the region, it is staggering to think that by 2030 there will no glaciers left in the park at all. That thought alone deserves some serious reflection.
In fact, our eco-system is in a delicate balance and although the impact of glacier retreat on the park's ecosystems is not fully known, cold water dependent plant and animal species could suffer massively due to a loss of habitat.
Glacier National Park has a highly regarded global climate change research program. The US Geological Survey has performed specific climate change studies since 1992 and I believe that this is a cause and an institution which we should be supporting with all our vigour.
