Reflecting on the story of the Uruguayan rugby players whose plane crashed into the Andes in 1972 emphasizes the stark changes to the mountain range as it is seen today in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ignacio Valenzuela Moraga, now a 44-year-old mountaineer, was a child when his father first told him the terrible story of the tragic event. This led Moraga to organize expeditions to the site of the tragedy, known as the “Valley of Tears”.

The news of the plane crash on October 13, 1972, quickly spread across the world. The charter flight was carrying the team to a match in Santiago, the Chilean capital. Twenty-nine people died, but 16 managed to survive 72 days under the most precarious conditions, without food, adequate shelter, or medical supplies for the injured.

Moraga, having seen the film, “Society of the Snow,” is certain about one thing. “If the tragedy had happened today, the climate crisis would have significantly altered the plot,” he says. “There is much less snow in the Andes mountains and in this area in particular.”

Global heating, associated with changes in water temperatures in the Pacific, has irreversibly reduced the amount of snow in the Andes mountains, according to experts. Reports have indicated that based on images from between 1986 and 2018, snow cover in the Andes is falling at a rate of 12% a decade in the dry season.

Over the years, some of the survivors and their families have returned to the accident site, leaving crosses, notes, and objects in tribute to their lost friends. Usually, the area is either entirely covered in snow or at least partly covered, with small patches of earth showing. As the glaciers melt, rivers have also emerged at the site.

Leandro Cara, a researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet), says Andean countries should work on “containing the flows when water precipitation, not snow, is very intense. Otherwise, floods will cause damage to crops and populations.”

Last year, the temperature in the Andes region reached 37C. Cara says: “In the environment, everything is connected, such as the lack of water in the Andes, Uruguay undergoing a water crisis, and historic floods in the Mapocho River.”

These changes in the Andes mountains serve as a stark reminder of the lasting impact of climate change and the urgent need for global action to address its effects on both the environment and human populations. Such insights from experts and local survivors offer valuable perspectives on the ongoing environmental challenges faced by communities in this region.