The double-edged sword of global warming

One thing is certain — global warming can reveal the past, but it is hardly a good sign for the future of humanity.

AHN CHAK-HEEThe author is the head of the global cooperation team at the JoongAng Ilbo. Last weekend, news spread about the controversy over the first person to climb Everest, one of the biggest mysteries in mountain climbing. British mountaineer Andrew Irvine disappeared while attempting to climb Mount Everest on June 8, 1924. Recently, someone found leather boots and wool socks with Irvine’s name in embroidery.

It’s been exactly 100 years since he disappeared. A foot presumed Irvine’s was found in the sock. The remains were discovered in the Rongbuk Glacier below the north face of Mt. Everest by the National Geographic documentary crew led by the famed climber, filmmaker and photographer Jimmy Chin.

At the time of his disappearance, Irvine was 22 and studying at the University of Oxford. He was seen at the 8,600-meter (28,215-foot) point, which is 250 meters away from the peak. Soon after he was spotted, clouds gathered — and his whereabouts became unknown. Remains of climber George Mallory, who was also headed to the summit, were found in 1999.

Whether they reached the summit or not is the biggest issue and controversy in the climbing world. If confirmed, they would be the first ones to conquer the highest mountain in the world, 29 years before the current record held by New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay.

The discovery of Irvine’s remains is good news which could be the key to solving the mystery, but it is also a wake-up call for global warming. I find it uncomfortable that the remains that had been frozen in the snow for 100 years resurfaced due to the snow and ice melting on Mount Everest. Jimmy Chin said that glaciers were melting a week before the remains were discovered.

Global warming is a serious problem. Climate change results in higher temperatures, and as the snow covering Everest melts, the ice layer underneath the snow is exposed. Unlike white snow that reflects sunlight, dark ice absorbs light and accelerates the rate of ice melting. As dark ice continues to be exposed, the environmental changes in Everest will increasingly intensify.

It is noteworthy to wonder whether Irvine’s Kodak camera will also be discovered. If the film can be developed, it will be the critical evidence to solve the mystery of the first to reach the summit of Everest. One thing is certain — global warming can reveal the past, but it is hardly a good sign for the future of humanity.