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On Thinner Ice

In the fall of 2007 and again in 2008, David Breashears traveled to the Chinese face of Mount Everest, a mountain he has summited five times. His goal was not the peak, but a series of ledges and outcroppings scattered among the glaciers that flow down Everest’s western side. Breashears was retracing the steps of Englishman George Mallory, who died in an attempt to be the first to stand on top of the world, and his surveyor, Oliver Wheeler.

Breashears carried with him photos taken in the 1921 expedition to survey Everest, three years ahead of Mallory’s fateful summit attempt. Returning to the exact same locations, Breashears meticulously recreated those shots, pixel for pixel.

The panoramas revealed a shocking trend: the severe and rapid loss of ice mass. The water stored in Everest’s glaciers is a crucial source of seasonal water for rivers flowing through South and Southeast Asia. If the present rate of melting continues, millions of people downstream, many who live in extreme poverty, will find themselves without water. The damage to the environment would be devastating, and carries with it a potentially far more serious threat to regional security. Diminishing food supplies and increased competition for water could lead to the largest humanitarian crisis of the next century.

In “Everest’s Vanishing Glaciers,” David Breashears explains the startling truth his photos reveal: we are losing the battle to save the snow and ice of the Himalayas.

2 Responses to “Everest’s Vanishing Glaciers”

  1. Tibet Right.org : Tibetan plateau experiences ill effects of climate change Says:
    December 16th, 2009 at 1:53 am

    [...] Watch On Thinner Ice: Everest’s Vanishing Glaciers: [...]

  2. greg smith Says:
    June 4th, 2009 at 7:47 am

    Hi
    I want a hi-resolution dvd of David Breashears’ “Everest’s Vanishing Glaciers” to show in the 2009 Forster Film Festival. Pls post to PO BOX 361 FORSTER NSW 2428 AUSTRALIA

    Congrats on a valuable short film.

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