Glacier melting poses a threat to the lives of millions of people

World's glaciers continue to melt rapidly: 2024 became the third consecutive year of large-scale losses of the planet's ice cover. Experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are sounding the alarm: the rate of glacier melting has reached record levels over the past six years, which poses a serious threat not only to ecosystems but also to the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.

Glaciers and ice sheets are the largest repositories of fresh water on Earth, containing about 70% of all its reserves. Mountain glacier systems perform the critically important function of the planet's "water towers." Their disappearance could lead to catastrophic consequences for the water supply of a huge number of people.

Since 1975, our planet has lost more than nine thousand billion tons of glacier ice. To visualize this volume: it is equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany's territory and 25 meters thick. If current melting rates continue, most glaciers in Western Canada, the USA, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Caucasus, and New Zealand could completely disappear by the end of this century.

The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Service provided alarming data: in 2024, the cumulative mass loss of glaciers reached 450 billion tons, making this year the fourth largest in terms of losses since the beginning of systematic observations. The most catastrophic losses were recorded a year earlier - in 2023.

"From 2022 to 2024, we observed the largest loss of glacier mass in the history of observations," emphasized WMO head Celeste Saulo.

The most dramatic situation has developed in Scandinavia, the Svalbard archipelago, and Northern Asia, where glacier cover losses have reached historic maximums.

"We can negotiate on many issues, but physical laws, such as the melting point of ice, cannot be changed," noted Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director of the WMO Water Resources and Cryosphere Department.

Climatologists are unanimous: the only way to preserve glaciers is an urgent and significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Otherwise, humanity risks facing irreversible catastrophic consequences for the global ecosystem and water security.