Iceland is a sub-arctic island born from the fiery mouth of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. It has many geologically active volcanoes that were responsible for disasters in the past. The climate is sub-arctic except for a sub-polar strip along the southwest coast. Glaciers have always been part of the nation’s culture, Hence when Iceland said farewell to one, this was a significant event.
Climate Changed and Therefore Iceland Said Farewell to Okjökull
The Okjökull glacier was a feature of western Iceland until very recently. All that remains is a ‘Letter to the Future’ inscribed on a plaque. This calls for action to halt the decline of Iceland’s glaciers. Its words to future generations ring out “Only you know if we did it”.
Mourners gathered on August 18, 2019 as silent witnesses to the moment Iceland said farewell to an old friend. All that remains is a small patch of ice atop a volcano. The Icelandic prime minister and other dignitaries attended the ceremony. What will the world think of the plaque in 200 years time we wonder? Dare we hope a new ice sheet will have covered it over?
You Think in a Different Time Scale says the Plaque Author
Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason wrote the words inscribed on the memorial plaque. “You think in a different time scale when you’re writing in copper rather than in paper,” he told BBC reporter Toby Luckhurst. “You start to think that someone actually is coming there in 300 years reading it.
“This is a big symbolic moment. Climate change doesn’t have a beginning or an end.” Adri wants to remind us that historical events are happening, and we should not regard them as normal. “We should rather put our feet down and say, okay, this is gone, this is significant,” he adds.
“The world that we learned how it was, learned by heart as some kind of eternal fact, is not a fact anymore,” he laments. Iceland said farewell Okjökull.
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Preview Image: Okjökull as Remembered in 1986
