The Last Columbus
Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave in Iceland. Photo by Anastasiya Pantsialei
“You’re a writer. Will you write something about us, about Iceland?” asked Klope, a horse shoemaker from Akureyri, the second largest town in Iceland.
“I’ll be unable not to,” I smiled. “It’s my nature.”
It wasn’t always. As a child, I was more interested in exploration than writing. I devoured dozens of colorful encyclopedias about all kinds of living beings. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d say, “An explorer.” I yearned to discover a new island, build ties with a remote tribe, or study unknown animal species.
As I grew older, I became disappointed: the world had already been discovered. There was not a single island left unexplored, no new nations or continents to chart.
Like many explorers at heart, I decided to satisfy my desires by traveling the world for the first time. I saw the Tanzanian lions, the sharks at the Egyptian coral reefs, and the Chinese red pandas. In February 2024, I chose to visit Iceland for the first time: to witness its volcanoes, the Arctic Ocean, glaciers, and whales.
What began as a tour of firsts became a tour of lasts. While my generation has no new lands to explore, global warming is making us the last. The last generation to see a white rhino. The last to see a healthy coral reef. The last to swim with dolphins. The last to get stung by a bee.
Iceland may not have many endangered native animals, but it does have geological phenomena that will soon change: huge glaciers, volcanoes, and hundreds of streams you can drink from. It is also home to unique Arctic flora and whales.
During my stay, I spoke to dozens of locals in villages across the country, and each of them noted the effects of climate change. Fishermen catch less, farmers struggle with unpredictable weather, hikers observe the melting glaciers, and everyone notices the increasingly snowy winters and more active volcanoes. Older people showed me pictures of nature from their childhood and now, revealing a drastic difference. Some glaciers were twice as large 50 years ago as they are now. It’s predicted that in the next 100-200 years, all Icelandic glaciers will be gone.
Humans are explorers. Some of us look into space to discover new planets, stars, and galaxies. Others delve into human history to understand how we arrived where we are. Most of us still explore the world, even if only to discover it for ourselves.
Our generation is still fortunate to experience many of our “firsts.” Diving with whales. Touching the crystal-clear ice of a 1,000-year-old glacier. Observing a rhino in the wild.
While experiencing many of my “firsts” in Iceland, I pondered who would be the last. Who will be the last to see puffins nesting? Who will be the last to see snow on these mountains? Who will be the last to drink water straight from the river without using a filter?
The answer, ironically, depends on other “firsts.” Who will be the first to break down microplastics? Who will find a way to prevent ship noise from disturbing the whales? Which country will be the first to ban plastic? Who will stop global warming?
Who will stop?