内容摘要：Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report. Shastri reported from Herscher, Illinois.

Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report. Shastri reported from Herscher, Illinois.

There also have been collapses in Peru, including one in 2006 that caused a mini tsunami; most recently, a glacial lagoon overflowed in April, triggering a landslide that killed two.“It’s amazing sometimes how rapidly they can collapse,” said Lonnie Thompson, a glacier expert at the Ohio State University. “The instability of these glaciers is a real and growing problem, and there are thousands and thousands of people that are at risk.”

Scientists say melting glaciers will raise sea levels for decades, but the loss of inland glaciers also acutely affects those living nearby who rely on them for water for drinking water and agriculture.A helicopter evacuates a car from the village of Blatten, Switzerland, Thursday, May 29, 2025, one day after a massive debris avalanche, triggered by the collapse of the Birch Glacier, swept down to the valley floor and demolished large parts of the village. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)A helicopter evacuates a car from the village of Blatten, Switzerland, Thursday, May 29, 2025, one day after a massive debris avalanche, triggered by the collapse of the Birch Glacier, swept down to the valley floor and demolished large parts of the village. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Scientists say greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal have already locked in enough global warming to doom many of the world’s glaciers — which already have retreated significantly.For example, glaciers in the Alps have lost 50% of their area since 1950, and the rate at which ice is being lost has been accelerating, with “projections ... that all the glaciers in the Alps could be gone in this century,” Thompson said.

Switzerland, which has the most glaciers of any country in Europe,

, the second-biggest decline in a single year after a 6% drop in 2022.But experts, officials and advocates all agreed on one thing: The declarations were an important first step toward creating a racially equitable society. Extensive research shows racism can have detrimental health impacts on people of color, including chronic stress and anxiety and higher rates of heart disease and asthma.

AP correspondent Kenya Hunter reports on how communities responded to racism being declared a public health issue.“If we’re not going to name racism in the first place, then we’re not going to start to develop solutions to address it,” said Dara Mendez, who teaches epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and studied the early declarations. “... Then the next step is (asking) what are the actions behind it? ... Are there resources? Is there community action?”

Lilliann Paine wanted to see everyday public health work focus on the intersection of racism and public health, and in 2018 brought the idea to the Wisconsin Public Health Association. Milwaukee, where Black people are thebecame one of the first cities in the country to adopt a declaration in 2019.