On September 19, 1991, a couple hiking on a high ridge in the Alps discovered a frozen corpse sticking up from a melting glacier. It seemed to be from the 20th century, possibly a soldier from the First World War. But forensic science examination revealed that this was a prehistoric man more than 5,000 years old, and he was dubbed Ötzi the Iceman. His remains and clothes were well preserved because the body had been iced over quickly after death.

The discovery of Ötzi was a momentous event, but it rang alarm bells for climate experts concerned by melting glaciers. Glaciers are in retreat across much of the world, and in the Alps the melt has accelerated over the past 20 or so years. At the current rate, most glaciers in the Alps will disappear by the middle of this century.

As the ice cover melts, the Alps are defrosting, causing rocks held in place by ice and snow to fall in landslides. Melting glaciers are bad news for high-altitude ski runs that depend on them, especially as lower slopes are running out of snow. The glaciers act as freshwater reservoirs storing winter snowfall and releasing it over the summer, when it is needed for drinking, farming, and hydroelectric power stations.

In these desperate times desperate measures have been sought. Last year 6,000 people stripped naked on a glacier in the Swiss Alps to highlight the need for drastic action to save the glaciers. And three years ago, an attempt was made to slow a glacier’s melt by shielding it with a large sheet of insulating plastic. This summer, German researchers are trying another technique to slow the melting of the Rhône Glacier, using a large screen to trap cold air over the ice. But, like King Canute, these brave efforts to stem the flowing waters are probably doomed.