Speaking last week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco, United States, glaciologist Lonnie Thompson said Peru's Qori Kalis glacier is retreating faster than at any other time in at least 5,000 years.

He predicts it will disappear within five years.

Peru is home to 70% of the world's glaciers; their disappearance will create problems for local communities.

 see full story