The United Nations will designate 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, with March 21 recognized annually as World Glaciers Day starting that year, according to experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UNESCO.
The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) cryosphere is warming at twice the global average, as per the International Cryosphere Initiative. Globally, there are over 275,000 glaciers spanning approximately 700,000 square kilometers, with ice sheets holding about 70% of the world’s freshwater.
The World Glacier Monitoring Service tracks glaciological and geodetic samples, monitoring around 210,000 glaciers for elevation changes. Data indicates that nearly all glacier regions are retreating, with trends from 1976 to 2023 showing a shift from stable mass balance to significant deglaciation.
The HKH region’s glacial melt is crucial for about 240 million people who rely on it for their livelihoods. It holds the largest ice reserves outside the polar regions and is the source of 10 major Asian river systems. The area also includes 330 key biodiversity sites and four global biodiversity hotspots, making it highly susceptible to glacial disasters such as outburst floods.
Experts warn that several significant glaciers could disappear by 2030. Larger glaciers may fragment into smaller ones, potentially increasing the number of glaciers. Some, like Canada’s Peyto Glacier, are expected to vanish within the decade, marking a significant scientific, ecological, and cultural loss.
In the Himalayas, Nepal’s Yala Glacier in Langtang Valley has retreated by 680 meters since 1974 and may disappear soon. Its elevation, ranging from 5,170 to 5,750 meters above sea level in 2011, has drastically reduced.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on glaciers in December 2022. The International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation and World Day of Glaciers aim to enhance global awareness of glaciers’ critical role in climate and hydrological systems, as well as the effects of changes in the Earth’s cryosphere.
