Indonesia's tropical glaciers projected to disappear by 2027

Indonesia's weather agency has warned that the country's last two tropical glaciers will disappear by 2027. The glaciers sit on Puncak Jaya mountain in Papua and have existed for around 5,000 years. They are also the last tropical glaciers in Asia.

Scientists have recorded a sharp drop in ice thickness. In 2010, the ice was 32 metres thick. By the time of the announcement, it had fallen to just four metres. The agency says warming in the region has now passed a point where the ice cannot recover.

El Niño weather conditions are making the melting faster. Local communities in Papua consider the glaciers spiritually important. Once they are gone, a natural feature that survived for thousands of years will be lost permanently.