Glaciers worldwide are severely threatened by climate change, with accelerated melting leading to significant ice loss. The World Meteorological Organization and UNESCO have initiated an international year for glacier preservation to highlight this crisis. Over 275,000 glaciers, vital for freshwater supplies, are at risk, particularly in regions like Greenland, Antarctica, and the Himalayas. The melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels, posing serious threats to coastal communities and ecosystems. Urgent action is needed to mitigate these impacts and protect remaining glaciers.
Global Glaciers Under Threat
On January 21, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UNESCO announced the commencement of ‘the international year for glacier preservation’, with the inaugural international day dedicated to these vital climate-regulating formations scheduled for March 21. This initiative aims to shed light on the perilous state of our planet’s glaciers, which are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, resulting in accelerated melting.
Understanding the Scope of Glacier Loss
Current statistics from the United Nations reveal that over 275,000 glaciers exist globally, encompassing around 10% of the Earth’s land area, or approximately 700,000 km². These icy regions typically gain mass through winter snowfall and lose it during the summer months. However, due to human-induced climate change, rising temperatures, and shifting precipitation patterns—favoring rain over snow—many glaciers are now at risk.
The WMO has declared that 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record, consistently raising alarms about the current climate crisis, particularly the alarming retreat of glaciers. According to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, 2023 witnessed unprecedented glacier mass loss, marking the largest decline in five decades. This trend continued for the second year in a row, with all glacier-laden regions reporting significant ice loss.
This situation is particularly alarming as Greenland and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets hold nearly 70% of the planet’s fresh water, earning them the title of ‘water towers of the world.’ Approximately 700 million individuals rely directly on melting glaciers and mountain snow for their freshwater needs, which are crucial for agriculture, livelihoods, and health.
Moreover, when considering seasonal supplies, about three billion people are affected globally, especially those in the Himalayan-Hindu Kush region and the Tibetan plateau, often referred to as the ‘Third Pole.’ In France, the glaciers in the Alps play a key role in irrigating the Rhône Valley, and their melting poses immediate risks such as landslides, avalanches, floods, and droughts.
Research from Ice&Life indicates that since the end of the Little Ice Age around 1850, the French Alps have lost nearly two-thirds of their glacier surface area, which once spanned around 700 km². In the Pyrenees, the number of glaciers has plummeted from 100 in the 1850s to merely 17 today, with projections suggesting that this region could be completely devoid of ice within 10 to 20 years.
Alpine glaciers face a similar fate, with one-third potentially disappearing by 2050, even if greenhouse gas emissions are halted immediately. Without significant intervention, nearly half (46%) of alpine glacier ice could vanish by 2040, following the current trend. If the patterns of the last decade persist, two-thirds of this ice may melt away.
This loss risks erasing significant glacial formations, such as a part of the iconic Mer de Glace in Chamonix, which has already receded by 2.5 km since 1830, losing 150 meters in thickness. The last remnants of glaciers in Africa, including those on Kilimanjaro, are expected to vanish by 2050, while glaciers in the tropical Andes may lose 78 to 97% of their volume by 2100, as per UNESCO projections.
The repercussions of this melting extend beyond glaciers themselves; it significantly contributes to rising sea levels. Since 2006, more than half of the observed sea level rise can be attributed to the melting of glaciers and ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. In 2023 alone, glaciers collectively lost 600 billion tons of water, equating to a sea level rise of approximately 1.7 mm. If half of the world’s glaciers were to melt, this would lead to a sea level increase of around 9 cm.
If global temperatures rise by +4°C by century’s end, an estimated 83% of glaciers would be lost, resulting in a potential sea level rise of 15.4 cm. This scenario would have dire consequences, including heightened risks of flooding and erosion for coastal communities, the submergence of small islands, biodiversity loss, and the salinization of freshwater sources.
The urgency to address this crisis is clear. The year 2025 is poised to be pivotal, as countries party to the Paris Agreement will present their updated greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2035 at COP30 in Belém, Colombia. These commitments will be scrutinized closely, determining the future global warming trajectory. The primary aim is to curb the temperature rise to below +2°C in an effort to safeguard the remaining glaciers on Earth.