UN Warns Global Glacier Melt Threatens Billions

Glaciers across the globe are melting rapidly due to climate change, threatening water resources, ecosystems, and livelihoods in regions such as Central Asia, Mexico, Greenland, Tajikistan, and the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Recent scientific studies reveal that even if global temperatures stabilize at current levels, nearly 40% of glacier mass will be lost, contributing to rising sea levels, with further losses expected as temperatures increase. Limiting warming to 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, could preserve more than half of current glacier mass, while current warming trajectories (2.7°C) would reduce this to just 24%, severely impacting billions who rely on glacier-fed water supplies. The United Nations and international experts are urging urgent emissions cuts, improved monitoring, and stronger international cooperation to safeguard glaciers and the communities that depend on them. Some regions, like Mexico, may see the disappearance of their remaining glaciers within five years, illustrating the immediacy of the crisis. The decisions made now will have lasting consequences, underlining the importance of every fraction of a degree in global warming.