Climate scientists warn that many glaciers will not survive this century if they continue to melt at their current rate. The world’s freshwater reserves are being threatened, with hundreds of millions of people living downstream facing potential hazards. Glaciers in regions such as Scandinavia, North Asia, and the Himalayas have experienced record-breaking annual losses.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), large masses of perennial ice are disappearing quickly, with five out of six years seeing unprecedented glacier retreat. This is equivalent to losing 9,000 billion tonnes of mass since 1975 – an ice block roughly the size of Germany.
If emissions of warming greenhouse gases continue at their current rate, we can expect to lose 80 per cent of small glaciers by 2100. Glacial melt contributes significantly to sea level rise, with 25-30 per cent coming from glacier melting, causing widespread floods and displacement of people.
The international community must take action to raise awareness about the critical role glaciers play in the climate system and to implement policies that mitigate and adapt to these changes. The World Day for Glaciers on March 21 aims to highlight the importance of glaciers and boost worldwide monitoring of cryospheric processes.
Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161296