UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have officially launched the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, in an effort to protect the water towers that provide fresh water to over two billion people worldwide.
Numerous activities and events during the year will seek to raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers in the climate system and hydrological cycle while addressing the urgent challenges posed by accelerated glacier melting.
The initiative focuses on several critical areas: expanding global glacier monitoring systems to enhance data collection and analysis; developing early warning systems for glacier-related hazards; promoting sustainable water resource management in glacier-dependent regions; preserving cultural heritage and traditional knowledge related to glacial environments; and engaging youth in glacier preservation efforts and climate action.
A critical moment for Earth’s cryosphere
More than 275,000 glaciers worldwide cover approximately 700,000km². Glaciers and ice sheets store about 70% of the global freshwater. However, these ice formations are rapidly retreating due to climate change. The organizations highlight that the preservation of these crucial resources is essential not only for environmental sustainability but also for economic stability and safeguarding cultural services and livelihoods.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, “WMO recently confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record and has sounded repeated red alerts about the state of our climate, including the retreat of glaciers. In 2023, glaciers suffered the largest mass loss in the five decades of record keeping. It was the second consecutive year in which all regions in the world with glaciers reported ice loss. 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.”
Key initiatives and global impact
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation in December 2022, and established March 21 as the annual World Day for Glaciers. It seeks to increase awareness of the vital role glaciers, snow and ice play in the climate system and hydrological cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of rapid glacial melt and their impacts on economies and communities.
UNESCO and WMO are leading the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and will coordinate international efforts supported by over 75 international organizations and 35 countries. WMO hosted the launch event at its headquarters on January 21.
“We are confident that this initiative will mobilize the global community, inspire action and drive the policies and solutions necessary to protect these invaluable natural resources,” added Bahodur Sheralizoda, chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection of Tajikistan, which was instrumental in the declaration.
Short-term hazards, long-term loss
The partners highlight that glaciers are often referred to as the “water towers of the world” because river basins with headwaters in the mountains supply freshwater to over half of humanity, including in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush and Tibetan Plateau region, known as the Third Pole. They also point out that the melting of glaciers, snow and ice translates into a short-term increase in landslides, avalanches, floods and droughts and a long-term threat to the security of water supplies for billions of people.
“Glaciers don’t care if we believe in science – they just melt in the heat for all to see,” stated John Pomeroy, co-chair of the Advisory Board and a professor at the University of Saskatchewan. “Our ‘frozen water’ has acted like millions of small dams, holding back water until the snow or glaciers melt – right when we needed it. More than two billion people rely on mountain snow and ice to replenish their rivers, lakes, and groundwater to support ecosystems, agriculture, energy, industry and drinking water. All of this is now at risk as global heating causes rapid glacier retreat, glacier lake outburst floods, snow droughts, loss of sea ice, rising sea levels, permafrost thaw and wildfires.”
Carolina Adler of the Mountain Research Initiative is the other co-chair. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, glaciers are projected to continue to decline in almost all regions of the world throughout the 21st century. As mountain glaciers retreat, they are also altering water availability and quality downstream, with implications for aquatic ecosystems and many sectors such as agriculture and hydropower.
Scientific heritage and future generations
WMO and UNESCO also underline that glaciers contain irreplaceable archives of human, environmental and climate history, preserving crucial records of Earth’s past within their ancient ice. These frozen time capsules provide scientists with invaluable data about historical climate patterns, atmospheric composition and even human activity spanning thousands of years. Their disappearance threatens not only water security but also results in the loss of unique ecosystems and biodiversity that have evolved in these specialized environments.
For Indigenous peoples across Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and East Africa, glaciers hold profound cultural and spiritual significance, often considered sacred spaces and the abode of deities. The loss of these ice formations would mean the irreversible disappearance of sites central to cultural heritage and spiritual practices that have been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 emphasizes the urgent need for immediate, ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to stabilize the climate and implement effective adaptation strategies. Governments, scientific institutions, private sector organizations and civil society are invited to join this global effort.
For more of the top insights into the future of the WMO, read Meteorological Technology International’s exclusive feature “How will the WMO enable wide-scale observations from uncrewed aerial systems?”, here.