In Juneau, the capital of Alaska, thousands of tourists flock to the waterfront every day from the huge cruise ships that dominate the view of downtown. Rows of buses ready to take visitors on all kinds of excursions, but most of them head to the jewel in the state’s crown: Mendenhall Glacier. This is a huge mass of grey, white and blue that receives hundreds of tourists daily by sky, sea and land. Helicopters, kayaks, canoes and trails bring visitors up close to admiring the icefly. So many people come to see it that local authorities are faced with the dilemma of how to manage them all.
The biggest concern, however, is climate change that is melting the Mendenhall Glacier, which has receded so rapidly that by 2050 it could no longer be visible from the resort it once loomed over.
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