Glaciers on Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe, are melting rapidly: Expert

As the ice melts and falls, it creates a dangerous hazard for both locals and the millions of tourists who visit the site annually while also drying up fresh water supplies, said Fabrizio Troilo, a geologist for the Safe Mountain Foundation, an Italian-based organization.

(MORE: The Earth is warming. Here are the top warning signs, according to experts)
One glacier on particular is posing a particular threat, Troilo told ABC News. A portion of Planpincieux Glacier, on the Italian side of the mountain, is moving up to a meter per day, compared to a more normal movement of 10 centimeters per day.

a close up of a rock mountain in the background: A view of the Bossons Glacier of the Mont-Blanc massif in Chamonix in France on Sept. 1, 2018.

The melting ice is a signifier of climate change, causing scientists to be on full alert, Troilo said.

The Safe Mountain Foundation and the Valle d'Aosta regional government stated in an analysis released last month that the glacier could collapse at any moment, releasing 66 million gallons worth of ice.



"What we are seeing today is the rate of change, which is very very high, and this doesn't give us time to adapt," Troilo said. "Every season we see new spots where there could be new risk."

If the warming trend continues, future scenarios predict that the majority of glaciers will be gone by the year 2100, Troilo said.

a snow covered mountain: Glaciers on Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe, are rapidly melting due to climate change.

While local governments in the area are paying attention to the issue of climate change, Troilo said the issue needs to be addressed on a more global scale.

The U.N. held a climate summit at last month's General Assembly, which Rachel Kyte, the U.N.'s special representative for sustainable energy for all, said she hoped would be a "slingshot" toward global action.

One thing standing in the way of action on climate change has been President Donald Trump, who removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017, and mocked 16-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter last month.

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