Climate Emergency: 2025 Declared the International Year of Glaciers

In response to the alarming loss of glaciers due to climate change, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP). This global initiative, co-facilitated by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), aims to safeguard these critical freshwater reserves.

The Urgency of Glacial Preservation

Glaciers and ice sheets store around 70% of the world’s freshwater, making their rapid loss a pressing environmental and humanitarian crisis. Over 2 billion people depend on glaciers for freshwater, emphasizing the urgency of immediate action.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo underscored this critical situation:
“Melting ice and glaciers threaten long-term water security for many millions of people. This international year must be a wake-up call to the world.”

Alarming Statistics

• In 2023, glaciers experienced their greatest water loss in over 50 years, marking the second consecutive year of ice loss across all glaciated regions.
• Switzerland’s glaciers alone lost 10% of their total mass between 2022 and 2023, according to WMO data.
• A UNESCO study warns that glaciers in one-third of its 50 heritage sites are projected to disappear by 2050.

With 2024 confirmed as the hottest year on record, immediate and decisive measures are crucial to mitigate further damage.

Key Initiatives for 2025

The IYGP will focus on several critical areas to protect glaciers:

1. Global Awareness:
   Highlighting the vital role of glaciers in regulating the climate and supporting ecosystems. Dr. Carolina Adler of the Mountain Research Initiative remarked, “Glaciers don’t care if we believe in science—they just melt in the heat.”
2. Scientific Research:
   Leveraging programs like the Global Cryosphere Watch to enhance understanding and guide effective climate action.
3. Policy Integration:
   Embedding glacier preservation into climate strategies such as the Paris Agreement to ensure global cooperation.
4. Financial Mobilization:
   Securing resources to support vulnerable communities, adaptation measures, and mitigation strategies.
5. Youth Engagement:
   Involving younger generations and local communities to foster collective action.

Milestones

• World Glacier Day: Scheduled for March 21, 2025, coinciding with World Water Day on March 22.
• International Glacier Preservation Conference: Hosted by Tajikistan in May 2025, the conference will bring together scientists, policymakers, and community leaders to discuss solutions and forge partnerships.

Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chair of Tajikistan’s Committee of Environmental Protection, emphasized:
“The only way to preserve glaciers as an important resource for the planet is for governments to collectively align with the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement.”

Challenges Ahead

While the IYGP provides a platform for action, the policy brief on glacier preservation highlights that some level of glacier loss is inevitable due to current warming trends. Dr. John Pomeroy of the University of Saskatchewan warned:
“We must prepare for cryospheric destruction through urgent policy changes.”

Regions like Central Asia are already facing severe water security challenges due to glacier loss. In Tajikistan, for example, nearly 1,000 glaciers have melted, accounting for one-third of the country’s glacier volume.

A Global Responsibility

The IYGP represents an opportunity for nations, organizations, and individuals to unite in a shared mission. Dr. Pomeroy concluded:
“History will record 2025 as the tipping point where humanity changed course and eventually saved the glaciers, ourselves, and our planet.”