There are few places where the effects of climate change are as evident as at a glacier.
"Over there," our guide said solemnly, shaking his head as he pointed to the mouth of the river. "That was where the ice used to reach. It has receded so much just over the last ten years. Every year it gets further and further back. It's all because of climate change."
This was the refrain we heard, over and over, as we travelled through Iceland and Greenland. The common sense of unease threading through their words wasn't often explicit, and they always made sure to keep the conversations light for the tourists, but the message was clear: climate change is real.
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Stepping onto the glacier, we were surprised at how dirty it was. "I was expecting it to be a bit whiter," I said to the guide apologetically, instantly feeling guilty about my lacklustre reaction.
It turned out to be because the glacier is still dusted with volcanic ash from the infamous 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, which disrupted flights across Europe; in fact some of the ash dates even further back to 1918 - almost a hundred years ago! - when there was an eruption that lasted well over a month.
"The ash serves a purpose," he added. "It keeps the ice underneath it from melting as fast as it would otherwise."
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Given the geological scale of time and the sheer vastness of the glacier, it's perhaps hard to conceive of its impermanence. To add to that, it's easy for those of us who live cloistered in our urban conveniences to remain detached from these concerns.
But the truth is that the Earth is warming at an alarming rate.
The good news is, it's not too late to turn things around - and here's how you can do your part.
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