Glaciers Worldwide Disappearing at Unprecedented Rate, Threatening Water Resources and Increasing Flood Risks

Glaciers across the globe are melting at an accelerating rate, with the last three years marking the highest glacial mass loss on record, according to a UNESCO report released on Friday. Since 1975, approximately 9,000 gigatons of ice have been lost, an amount equivalent to a 25-meter-thick ice block the size of Germany. The dramatic ice loss, affecting regions from the Arctic to the Alps and South America to the Tibetan Plateau, is expected to worsen due to climate change. This poses a threat to global water resources and increases the risk of floods, impacting millions who depend on glaciers for hydroelectric energy and agriculture. The report was released in conjunction with the first World Day for Glaciers in Paris, urging global action. Five of the last six years have registered the largest losses, with glaciers losing 450 gigatons in 2024 alone. Melting glaciers have contributed 18 millimeters to global sea level rise between 2000 and 2023, with each millimeter potentially exposing 300,000 people to annual flooding.