The withdrawal of glaciers endangers the supply of water and foods for two billion people around the world, warned UN. Experts say that current melting rates, unprecedented, will have unpredictable consequences.
Global warming could reduce the jacket mass to 2100 pixabay
According to a UNESCO report, two-thirds of the total irrigated agriculture at global level will be affected by the withdrawal of glaciers and decreased snowfall in the mountain regions, phenomena determined by the climatic crisis, The Guardian reports.
Over 1 billion people live in the mountain regions and, of those in developing countries, up to half are already facing food insecurity. This situation is likely to worsen, because food production in such regions depends on mountain waters, melted snow and glaciers, according to World Water Development Report 2025.
Melting glaciers also affects developed countries
Developed countries are also exposed to risk: in the US, for example, the Colorado River basin has been drought since 2000, and higher temperatures determine that an increasing part of precipitation falls in the form of rain, which flows faster than mountain snow, thus aggravating drought conditions.
“No matter where we live, we all depend in a kind of mountains and glaciers. But these natural water towers are in imminent danger. This report demonstrates the urgent need for action.”said Audrey Azoulay, the general manager of UNESCO.
According to separate research of the world meteorological organization, which has published this week the annual report on the state of the climate, the melting rate of glaciers is the highest ever recorded. The largest glacial meal decline recorded over a three -year period has recently taken place, the most affected areas being Norway, Sweden, Svalbard and Tropical Andes.
East Africa has lost 80% of glaciers, and in the Andes, between a third and a half of the glaciers have melted from 1998 to the present. In Europe, the Alps and Pyrenees, the most affected, decreased by about 40% in the same period.
Major risks of accelerated melting
Abou Amani, the director of the Department of Water Sciences within UNESCO, stressed another impact of the decline of glaciers: the loss of ice replaces a reflective surface with dark soil, which absorbs heat.
“Melting glaciers affects the reflectivity of solar radiation and this will influence the entire climatic system”he warned.
Also, avalanches will be multiplied, because the rain falling over the snow is a major factor in their formation. The water accumulated from melted glaciers can be released suddenly, causing floods in the valleys or affecting the communities below. In addition, the permafrost melts, releasing methane from the mountain soils exposed by the withdrawn glaciers.
Half of the glaciers could disappear by the end of the century
A previous study, published last month in the Jurnalul Nature, found that half of the global glacier table will disappear until the end of the century if the global warming is not stopped.
“The mountain glaciers contain some of the largest freshwater reserves on the ground. The melting water released in summer ensures the water supply for one billion people and supports an enormous amount of industrial and agricultural activities. The impact of this phenomenon will be felt far beyond the regions located downstream.”explained Alex Brisbourne, geophysicist glaciologist at British Antarctic Survey.
These effects occur at a time when many sources of food are already under pressure. Alvaro Lario, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and president of the UN-Water, asked for more support for the affected mountain communities.
“The water flows down the valley, but the food insecurity climbs to the hill. The mountains offer us 60% of the fresh water, but the communities that protect these vital resources are among the most vulnerable from a food point of view.”he said.
