Ahead of the United Nations' World Water Day on Saturday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held the inaugural World Day for Glaciers from Thursday to Friday, as part of the efforts to build a platform for dialogue and action concerning the state of the world's glaciers and their impacts on global water security, communities, and ecosystems.
The rapid melting of glaciers has profound consequences for both humanity and the planet. The loss of the ice-flows causes sea levels to rise, and also affects water supplies for agriculture, hydropower and human settlements.
Over the course of two days, UNESCO convened scientists and policymakers for discussions and events centered on "Glaciers' Preservation," the theme of this year's World Water Day.
"It will be largely these extreme events, the climate changes, that are going to force us to finally wake up," said Lonnie Thompson, a renowned professor of earth science professor, who has dedicated three decades to researching ice cores, exploring ice sheets, and observing glacial retreat.
"They (glaciers) have no political agenda. They cannot be lobbied, [by] special interest groups, it doesn't matter. They just sum up temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloudiness, radiation, and they respond. And they're all responding in one direction in today's world. And they're retreating," said Thompson.
The high-level gathering coincides with the launch of the 2025 World Water Development Report by the UNESCO, themed "High Mountains and Glaciers", which warns of an "imminent peril" facing many of the world's glaciers.
The UNESCO report highlights that the retreat of glaciers poses a significant threat to the food and water security of approximately two billion people globally.
"There's only one way and we have to reduce our carbon emissions to the atmosphere, the greenhouse gases. They have to be lowered, or we will lose all of our mountain glaciers and eventually the polar glaciers," said the expert.
China has been one of the key nations in developing local strategies to adapt to shrinking glaciers. It confronts critically endangered glaciers, such as Dagu Glacier in southwestern Sichuan Province.
Ice sheets are critical to life, as their meltwater is essential for drinking water, agriculture, industry, clean-energy production and healthy ecosystems.
But a warming world is causing glaciers to disappear. It is hoped that events like this can catalyze actions to mitigate the adverse impacts of glacier loss.
UNESCO observes World Day for Glaciers, urging global action on conservation
UNESCO observes World Day for Glaciers, urging global action on conservation
