In August, the Milky Way rises steeply above the Monte Rosa massif in the Swiss Alps. Jupiter and Saturn sparkle brightly above the mountain ridge, a shooting star from the Perseid meteor shower falls through the middle of the Milky Way and Andromeda, our neighboring galaxy two and a half million light years away, shines on the upper left-hand side of the picture.

The Gorner Glacier winds through the wide valley like a river of ice, following the force of gravity into the valley. Over thousands of years, it has carved its bed into the rock, significantly shaping the landscape. Shaped by the scouring power of the glaciers, this world of peaks beyond 4500 meters (14.800 feet) altitude reveals constant change over the deep time. However, never before at the pace we are experiencing due to our climate change. The zero-degree line has already risen more than 350 meters (1.150 feet), which means that this majestic valley glacier is irretrievably lost. In recent summers, more than ten percent of the remaining ice in the Alps has melted, which is more than the combined ice melt of the last 30 years.

Earth is a marvel. Over billions of years, a finely balanced equilibrium between plate tectonics and the interlocking cycles of rock, water, carbon and nutrients has developed on it and within it, in which life has not only found its permanent place, but also acts to regulate and maintain it. In this dynamic system, everything is interconnected and not only enables life, but also protects and sustains it.

Looking down from this ridge onto the landscape and into the depths of space, it becomes obvious that we not only share one common planet, we also share one origin: everything we are made of originated from elements within exploded stars. We are stardust in the truest sense of the word. It is this realization that is expressed so charmingly in the words: Earth is the Mother We Share. Not in the romantic sense. But in a very real sense: We depend on our planet. On its stability, its self-regulation, its generosity. We are not a superior species; we are part of the whole. And it is precisely here – between glaciers, mountains and stars – that this can be experienced powerfully and vividly.