The Majestic Mont Blanc Glaciers suffering from 'Extreme' Retreat

I recently returned from a breathtaking trip to the French Alps with two boys.

We stayed in Chamonix – the infamous place to ski for the rich and famous – but in summer it is a very different vibe. Climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, a nirvana for outdoor summer pursuits. We joined in the outdoor activities with gusto, doing daring tree climbing acrobatics, zip wiring over lakes, white water rafting in melted glacial rivers, hiking, mountain biking and adventuring into glacial ice caves and even went up in cable cars to 4000m above sea level to the Aiguille du Midi – viewing the spectacular Mont Blanc. It was a magical holiday to be remembered forever.

My love of landscape and geology was fired up. The view from my bedroom was so spectacular, I didn’t close the shutters or curtains at night, afraid to miss the beautiful clear dark sky of stars and the breathtaking snow topped mountain view in the blue morning sky.

Despite experiencing the beauty and wonder of this natural landscape, I found myself deeply concerned about the seemingly severe retreat of the glaciers. I had last visited the French Alps in summer as a teenager and then with a glaciologist boyfriend in my early 20s, helping him with his PhD research and climbing and camping across the alps of Italy, Switzerland and France. There seemed to be a huge difference in the size and length of the glaciers. Was it my memory deceiving me, or was it the impact of the warm summers Europe is experiencing? I decided to look into it.

I discovered that the glaciers on Mont Blanc are indeed retreating due to climate change. The retreat of the glaciers is evident in the thinning of the ice and the movement of the glacier fronts. For example in 2011, GPS instruments measured a 15 metre decrease in the length and nearly a metre decrease in the depth of the glacier. Other glaciers on Mont Blanc have also shrunk over time, with the Mer de Glace receding by 600 metres and the glacier de Boissons by more than 800 metres, The Argentiere Glacier has receded 1.150 metres since 1870. I read that the Mer de Glace has had the most melt as in the 1800 it could be seen in the village of Chamonix, now it has retreated over 2km!

 Glaciologists now call the retreat of the alpine glaciers as ‘extreme’, having lost an average of 6.2% of their ice.

Thinking on the impact of this retreat: Sea level rise; impacting water supply for humans and nature; rockfall and unstable permafrost which can threaten life;impact on flora and fauna; reduces the capacity for hydro-electric energy. It is deeply concerning for us all.

This wonderful trip has made me even more committed to try and make more changes to my life and business, and to encourage my family and friends to do the same. Being conscious of my purchasing, food waste, packaging waste, car choice, energy choices, travelling responsibly and making more sustainable choices.

For Kingdom Scotland, we on a journey of improving sustainability and impact on the earth. We are on a constant quest to find better sustainable materials for our packaging, and to find more sustainable and ethical materials as they become available. We are working with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and are even more committed to supporting their vital biodiversity research in the face of climate change. We are developing a new perfume together, and again a proportion of our profits will go towards their incredible work.

This summer trip has utterly increased my commitment. I feel that we constantly need to find new ways to reduce our impact on the planet, for our children and future on this beautiful planet.