The Arctic is changing fast — and Swedish photographer Christian Åslund has the picture evidence to prove it. In a powerful photo project, Åslund retraced the steps of early 20th-century explorers in the Svalbard archipelago, recreating their glacier shots from over 100 years ago.
The contrast? Stark. In place of massive walls of ice are now stretches of bare rock and open water.
What's happening?
In collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute and Greenpeace, Åslund returned to Svalbard in 2024, more than two decades after his first visit in 2002. His goal: to recreate historical images taken as far back as 1918 to show just how much the glaciers have receded. And the results are hard to ignore.
"We wanted to show that these glaciers are not going back and forth. They are constantly being pulled back by a warming climate. It's a major difference," Åslund said, according to CNN.
In one haunting photo pair, the same boat that once appeared to glide toward a towering glacier now points toward a mostly empty shoreline. And while awareness of the changing climate has grown since 2002, skepticism still lingers — with some claiming that the images were manipulated or misrepresented.
"The whole point of this project is that an image shows more than a thousand words, and that this is real, but still people have problems believing in it," he explained.
Why is the Arctic ice melt concerning?
The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the global average. As sea ice disappears, it reflects less heat back into space, making the ocean warmer, which, in turn, melts more ice and creates a dangerous feedback loop.
"Today's end-of-summer ice cover is 40-50% less than it was 100 years ago and all climate models and observationally based studies suggest the first ice-free summers will occur by 2050," Julienne Stroeve, a professor of Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London, explained, according to CNN.
But the issue doesn't stop at the poles. Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels, which increases the risk of flooding during extreme weather events. The added freshwater from glacial melt can also disrupt vital ocean currents, threatening marine ecosystems and global food systems.
Some experts say we could see ice-free Arctic summers as early as 2050 — a scenario not witnessed in 130,000 years.
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Definitely 🙁 What's being done about it?
While the images are haunting, there are organizations working to slow down Arctic ice loss and protect vulnerable communities. Groups like Greenpeace and the Arctic Basecamp initiatives are pushing for stronger pollution rules and funding for climate resilience.
Everyday choices can make a difference as well — from cutting back on methane gas, reducing single-use plastic, to lowering your transportation emissions by using public transit or driving electric.
And perhaps most importantly — sharing stories like these. Because as Åslund reminds us, some images can make the reality impossible to ignore.
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