In Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, people have watched the ice fields turn to exposed rock and experts predict these vital water sources could be lost in 30 years.
At an altitude of 4,200 metres in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Colombia, Edilsa Ibañéz Ibañéz lowers a cupped hand into the water of a glacial stream.
The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is one of six remaining glaciers in Colombia.
As Colombia’s glaciers hurtle towards extinction, they serve as an alarm bell signalling a much broader pattern of environmental degradation already straining the entire country’s water supply.
After historic droughts across Latin America, the country’s capital of Bogotá is still zonally rationing water – residents were asked to “shower together” to preserve diminishing water supplies in 2024.
