Saving disappearing glaciers is a matter of human survival

All 19 of the world's glaciers experienced a third consecutive year of loss in 2024, forcing the United Nations to warn that efforts to save glaciers have now become a matter of survival.

Tuco Glacier in Peru August 2016

Over the past six years, the world has seen glaciers lose mass at a record pace for five years, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations on March 21.

"Protecting glaciers is not only an environmental, economic and social necessity: it is a matter of survival," AFP quoted Celeste Saulo, director of the WMO's climate agency, as saying today, March 21.

WMO statistics show that in addition to the continental ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, there are more than 275,000 glaciers worldwide covering an area of ​​700,000 km ² . However, glaciers are disappearing rapidly due to climate change.

“The 2024 hydrological year marks the third consecutive year that all 19 of the world's glacier regions have experienced net loss,” WMO added.

A total of 19 glaciers lost 450 billion cubic tons, based on data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS).

2024 is the 4th most severe year on record, with 2023 being the worst.

The United Nations warns that unprecedented glacier loss poses risks to ecosystems, agriculture and water resources.

Specifically, shrinking glaciers are threatening the food and water sources of 2 billion people around the world. Two-thirds of the world's arable land is likely to be affected by glacier retreat.

In addition to developing countries, developed countries are also at risk. In the United States, for example, the Colorado River basin has been in drought since 2000, and rising temperatures mean more rainfall, which depletes water faster than snow on the mountains and exacerbates the drought.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-cuu-cac-song-bang-dang-bien-mat-la-van-de-song-con-cua-nhan-loai-185250321103148349.htm