Global glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate, with the last three years marking the largest loss of glacial mass ever recorded, according to a new report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released on Friday.
Since 1975, glaciers have lost an estimated 9,000 gigatons of ice—roughly equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany, 25 meters thick, as noted by Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service, based in Switzerland. He shared this figure during a press conference at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
The rapid glacial melt, from the Arctic to the Alps, South America to the Tibetan Plateau, is expected to accelerate as climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, continues to raise global temperatures. This will likely worsen environmental, economic, and social issues worldwide, such as rising sea levels and shrinking water sources.
This report comes ahead of UNESCO’s first World Day for Glaciers in Paris, calling for urgent global action to protect glaciers.
Zemp highlighted that five of the past six years have seen the largest glacial losses, with glaciers shedding 450 gigatons of mass just in 2024.
Mountain glaciers have become one of the largest contributors to sea level rise, threatening millions of people with severe flooding and jeopardizing water sources crucial for agriculture and hydroelectric energy.
Rising Risk to Freshwater Supply
According to Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of water and cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there are still around 275,000 glaciers worldwide, which, together with the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, account for about 70% of the world’s freshwater. Uhlenbrook emphasized the need to advance scientific understanding through improved observation systems, forecasting, and early warning mechanisms.
Glacier Loss and Local Communities
The consequences of glacial loss are particularly severe for mountain communities, home to about 1.1 billion people. These areas face an increased risk of natural hazards and unreliable water sources, with the challenging terrain making it hard to implement effective solutions.
Rising temperatures are expected to intensify droughts in regions dependent on snowpack for freshwater while also increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters like avalanches, landslides, flash floods, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
One Peruvian farmer, whose community is affected by a retreating glacier, has taken legal action against German energy company RWE, suing for a portion of the flood defenses around a glacial lake, arguing it should be proportionate to the company’s global emissions.
Spiritual and Cultural Impact
Glaciologist Heidi Sevestre, who works with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, spoke of the emotional and cultural significance of glaciers. She explained that in the Rwenzori Mountains, located between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, glaciers are expected to disappear by 2030. Sevestre, who collaborates with indigenous Bakonzo communities in the region, highlighted the deep spiritual connection they have with the glaciers, as they believe a deity named Kitasamba resides within them.
“Can you imagine the deep spiritual attachment they have to these glaciers and what it might mean for them to see them vanish?” Sevestre said, reflecting on the profound cultural impact of this environmental change.
Global Implications of Glacier Loss
The melting glaciers in East Africa have already led to rising local conflicts over water, and while the global impact remains minimal for now, the cumulative effect of melting glaciers worldwide is becoming more significant. From 2000 to 2023, mountain glaciers have contributed to a 18-millimeter rise in global sea levels, averaging about 1 mm per year. This seemingly small rise can expose up to 300,000 people to annual flooding, as estimated by the World Glacier Monitoring Service.
“Billions of people are connected to glaciers, whether they know it or not, and that will require billions of people to protect them,” said Sevestre, urging global action to prevent further damage to these critical environmental resources.
