Melted Memorial

Vanished Ice Immortalized

Icelanders unveiled a plaque in an official ceremony on August 18 in memory of Okjokull Glacier, or Ok Glacier, the first of its kind officially lost to climate change. The glacier lost its glacier status in 2014 after melting down to only 0.386 square miles, or 6.6 percent of its original 5.8 square miles, and was reclassified as dead ice. The plaque is inscribed with A Letter to the Future, which includes the words, “This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.” A 2018 documentary, Not Ok, details the glacier’s death and highlights the dire effects of climate change.

Farknot Architect/Shutterstock.com