Papua’s remaining tropical glaciers could disappear within two years

Nearly all of the permanent snow on Papua’s Sudirman Range has disappeared, with the remaining patches around Puncak Jaya expected to vanish within a year or two, according to BBC News. A century ago, snow and permanent ice covered all four major peaks along the 300-kilometre range. Glacier cover around Puncak Jaya, also known as Carstensz Pyramid, has fallen from nearly 1,900 hectares in the 19th century to about 16 hectares today.

Researchers say the retreat is linked to a warming atmosphere caused by human activity, including the burning of coal, oil and gas. As temperatures rise, the freezing point moves higher and precipitation that once fell as snow increasingly falls as rain. The glaciers are unusual because they are isolated from other glacier systems by thousands of kilometres.

Ice cores taken from Puncak Jaya contain information about past atmospheric conditions and the tropical Pacific, but scientists fear the archive will disappear before it can be fully studied. Climate researcher Marie Šabacká said Papua has the last remaining tropical ice between the Andes and the Himalayas. She described the loss as unfair because the region has contributed little to the warming that is driving the change.

The mountain also has deep spiritual significance for Indigenous communities. The Moni people call it Mbainggela, while the Amungme refer to it as Nemangkawi, or the “White Arrow”. Activist Adolfina Kum compared the potential destruction of the sacred landscape to the loss of Mecca or the Vatican.

Mining has also transformed the surrounding region. Copper and gold extraction has brought jobs, roads and other opportunities, but Indigenous people report environmental degradation, social conflict and loss of access to ancestral land. Researcher Klaus Thymann said three-dimensional mapping showed that the glaciated area had receded by 95% between the early 2000s and 2025.