There are approximately 275,000 glaciers on Earth, which store about 70 % of fresh water and are vital for nearly two billion people. However, on the opportunity of International Glaciers, scientists have issued a warning that glaciers in many parts of the world will not survive the 21st century. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, five of the last six years were the hottest and there were the fastest retreat of glaciers in history.
This retreat has a huge consequence because The released water poses a serious threat. Experts warn that ten million people around the world are now at risk of destructive floods caused by the melting of glaciers. Since 1975, glaciers have lost more than nine trillion tons of their weight – this is the equivalent of a layer of ice with dimensions that would cover Germany and have 25 kilometers to the thickness.
Although some areas, such as Canadian Arctic or Greenland, experience weight loss mild, other areas are much stronger. For example, in the Alps and Pyrenees glaciers between 2000 and 2023, they lost 40 % of their power.
WMMO Secretary General, Celeste Saul, says: “The protection of glaciers is not just an environmental, economic and social necessity. It is a question of survival.“In 2024, the glaciers lost 450 billion tons of weight, the fourth worst year in history. Between 2022 and 2024, the greatest loss of glaciers over three years has been recorded.
This rise may sound like a small, but each increase by a millimeter will expose another 200,000 to 300,000 people to annual floods. Fast glacier melting can mean a loss of fresh drinking water for billions of people in the long term. The glaciers, which today make up a key water source for 1.9 billion people, lose a huge amount of water. Between 2000 and 2023, they lost a lot of water that would be enough to consume the entire world population for thirty years. If the glaciers actually disappear as WMO expects, millions of people will be forced to look for other water sources or migrate.
Without glaciers, thousands of people will be in highly exposed areas without access to drinking water. As he says Professor Michael Zemp, director of the world service for glacier monitoring: “If I imagine my children, they will live in a world where there will be no glaciers. This is really alarming.”
