Glaciers, which contain approximately 70% of the planet’s fresh water, are witnessing an unprecedented retreat, according to experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
This phenomenon, driven by climate change, threatens not only local ecosystems but also hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.
## Accelerated and Irreversible Retreat in Glaciers
– The last six years have seen the fastest glacier retreat in recorded history, with the 2022-2024 period marking the largest three-year mass loss ever recorded.
– In regions like Scandinavia, Svalbard, and Northern Asia, glacier losses reached record levels in 2024.
– Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), estimates that since 1975, glaciers have lost over 9,000 trillion tons of mass. This is equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters.
## Global Impacts
The melting has significant repercussions:
– **Rising Sea Levels**: Between 25% and 30% of this increase comes from glacier melting, raising the level by approximately one millimeter annually. Although it may seem small, this affects between 200,000 and 300,000 people each year.
– **Livelihoods at Risk**: In areas like the Hindu Kush in the Western Himalayas, over 120 million farmers see their water resources threatened due to glacier loss.
– **Challenges in the Tropics**: Even high-altitude glaciers in Peru have retreated by 40%, affecting local biodiversity and water resources.
## A Concerning Future and the Urgency of a Call to Action
The WMO warns that if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, 80% of the world’s smallest glaciers could disappear by 2100. This includes those in the Alps, Eastern Africa, and Indonesia, where almost 40% of the remaining ice has already melted.
Sulagna Mishra from the WMO emphasized that glacier change affects the whole world, either directly or in an interconnected way. It is necessary to mobilize resources, strengthen policies, and prioritize research to mitigate these effects and adapt to imminent changes.
*Cover photo: Chile EFE/Ricardo Giesecke-IDEAL*
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