People are using the viral '10-year challenge' as a stark warning about what's happening to our planet

Jan 18, 2019, 05:16 IST

The top photo here shows the Rhone glacier in Switzerland now, while the bottom shows how much more ice there was in 2009.

Although many glaciers have shrunk dramatically in the last decade, juxtapositions that show their changes over a longer period of time are even more striking.

These photos of Alaska's Muir Glacier are placed on top of each other so you can swipe back and forth to see how much has melted over the last 120-plus years.

Different glacial systems — if and when they melt — may impact some coastal cities more severely than others, according to NASA research.

Scientists even made an interactive tool that lets you pick from more than 290 cities to explore how they might be impacted by certain glaciers melting.

Of course, the effects of climate change aren't limited to glaciers.

Coral reefs (and the ecosystems that they support) are dying.

Higher ocean temperatures and acidification cause corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white — what's known as coral bleaching. Swipe back and forth here to see it for yourself.

Rivers and lakes are also shrinking as growing populations demand more water. Pesticide and fertilizer run-off from farmland can also pollute what little is left.

Forests in South America and Central Africa are also shrinking because of logging and deforestation.

Politicians and celebrities are chiming in about our environmental 10-year challenge, too. Mesut Özil, who plays for Arsenal in the UK's Premier League and played for the 2018 German World Cup team, embraced the message.

The only #10YearChallenge we should care about 🙏🏼🌍 #M1Ö pic.twitter.com/S8hU7gNgZJ

— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 17, 2019

In an Instagram post, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wrote, "if we want to pass on a sustainable healthy world to the next generation, we need to have started yesterday."

Like Booker, many people are pointing out that humanity may only have one more 10-year challenge's worth of time to act on climate change before it'll be too late to meet the world's goals.

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