There is not enough alarm about melting glaciers. Glaciers store around 75% of the world’s freshwater, regulate rivers and biodiversity, and are essential to nearly 1.9 billion people downstream. Their rapid disappearance (with up to 52% projected loss by 2100) threatens water resources, food production, energy security, and global ecosystems.
So as the UNESCO International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation draws to a close, 1% for the Planet France, in collaboration with agency m_nstr_, Flavien Berger and Aurelien Buiron, have launched The Voice of the Glaciers, an initiative to give glaciers a voice, literally, produced by music artist, Mosimann.
The campaign consists of a short film and an installation, a vinyl made of ice that melts as time passes. Recorded on the Mer de Glace in the French Alps, the unique ice vinyl carries the authentic sounds of a dying glacier, its cracks, groans, and trickles, fused into a haunting voice that speaks on behalf of all glaciers. As it plays, the record gradually melts, symbolising the irreversible loss of these frozen sentinels.
“Associations and scientists are mobilising to study the new environments revealed by retreating glaciers, working on advocacy to protect these sensitive areas at the European level, and raising awareness among high school students about climate issues through the concrete example of glaciers. It is time for us to come together and take action to protect these ecosystems, which are now in great danger,” stated Isabelle Susini, director, 1% for the Planet France.
“This project lies at the intersection of art, philanthropy, and commitment to glaciers. It is the final stretch of the first specific fundraising effort dedicated to ‘1% for glaciers,’ developed with 1% for the Planet France, to support the organizations working to protect glaciers (six associations). Artists, companies, and nonprofits have volunteered to create the micro-project, The Voice of the glaciers,” added Jean-Baptiste Bosson, glaciologist.
“Protecting a glacier means preserving what remains fragile and pure in this world,” added Mosimann. “The Voice of the Glaciers, pressed on a medium as ephemeral as itself: a vinyl made of ice that melts as time passes.”
The project marks the launch of 1% for the Glaciers, a fundraising initiative uniting six NGOs – Protect Our Winters, France Nature Environnement, Marge Sauvage, L’École des Pôles, Mountain Wilderness, and Mountain Riders, with the goal of raising €100,000 to preserve glaciers and the ecosystems they sustain.
