Narratives of ice loss: New approaches to shrinking glaciers and climate change adaptation

•Competing narratives of ice loss are overlooked in climate change adaptation.•Globally relevant case study of glacial lake conflict in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.•Narrative analysis as a methodology to understand power and glacier change.•Environmental authority can emerge in counterintuitive ways at unexpected times.•Results help to understand community resilience and limits of adaptation.