Researchers report that the tropical glaciers on Papua's high peaks, among the few remaining in the world's tropics, are rapidly shrinking due to rising temperatures linked to climate change. The ice has long been valuable to scientists studying climate history and holds deep spiritual significance for local communities who consider it sacred.
Experts warn the glaciers could disappear completely within the next few years, marking the loss of one of the last tropical ice fields on Earth. The disappearance would end a natural feature that has existed for thousands of years and served as an important indicator of global climate patterns.
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