Glaciers Are Disappearing. Glacier Nation is Restoring What’s Left.

Around the world, glaciers are disappearing and threatening water systems that sustain more than 1.9 billion people. Environmental activist Marcela Fernández Barreneche is responding to this crisis through Glacier Nation, a global network that restores high-mountain ecosystems and raises awareness of glacier loss through scientific monitoring and community engagement. What began in Colombia has grown into a movement active in more than 12 countries, with over 42 expeditions that have mobilized 1,500 people towards ecosystems across Latin America.

Marcela did not begin as a scientist or mountaineer, but when she learned that Colombia’s tropical glaciers were disappearing, she took action. She founded Cumbres Blancas, which has since grown into Glacier Nation, a global movement protecting high-mountain ecosystems and water systems at risk from glacier loss. Selected by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world in 2023, Marcela is an environmental activist with nearly a decade of experience amplifying the voices of communities most affected by climate change.