AP PHOTOS: Aviator races to photograph all glaciers
AP PHOTOS: Aviator races to photograph all glaciers
Show all 22Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Garrett Fisher is traveling the world in his tiny blue-white “Super Cub” aircraft, on a quest to document every remaining glacier on Earth.
The 41-year-old Fisher does it for a simple reason: “Because I love them.”
But he does it, too, because of weightier things. Because the climate clock is ticking, and the planet’s glaciers are melting. Because Fisher is convinced documenting, archiving, remembering, all of this serves a purpose.
“In 100 or 200 years, most of them will be gone or severely curtailed,” Fisher says. “It is the front line of climate change … the first indication that we’re losing something.”
So, he’s building an archive of his glacier photography and he aims his efforts squarely at posterity. He believes any documentation he makes before their demise could be invaluable to future generations.
He has launched a glacier initiative, a not-for-profit to support and showcase his work, and he plans to open his archive to the public for research – some now, the rest when he is gone.
Many glaciers are remote and hard to reach or document – forcing Fisher to navigate dangerous environments. Why risk it?
He’s chasing the perfect image; one so beautiful it can make people and policymakers act. And if it isn’t one image, then maybe an entire archive convinces people to come, to look, to get close, to pay attention.
“We can live without them. We will live without them,” Fisher says. “However, it hurts us to lose them.”
Everything disappears. But not yet. There is still time, and Garrett Fisher has an airplane and a camera and is not turning away.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.