Comments on “The Last Ice in Africa"

Comment on Mark Nicholson's article by Michael Acheson

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I climbed Kilimanjaro with 3 companions in June 1962. Snow and ice started at around 17,000 feet. Today the ice and snow has largely disappeared, not only due to global warming but due to much decreased rainfall. This decline in moisture has been caused by deforestation due to the local tribe, the Chagga, whose greatly increased population has driven the demand for more and more firewood. I attach a photo that might illustrate 1960s Kilimanjaro (which was completely free of charge to climbers in those days).