The rapid retreat of the world’s glaciers is often ­described as climate change’s canary in the mine. The Franz Josef Glacier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island is unusual in that it terminates in the middle of a temperate rainforest. It has proved far more resistant to melting than other glaciers in the Southern Alps – in fact, it has ­advanced in recent decades – but scientists predict that, if the warming trend continues, by the end of century it might have retreated by up to 5km.

Photograph: Jochen Schlenker/Abrams & Chronicle