World's glacier mass shrank again in 2024 for third consecutive year: UN

All 19 of the worlds glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024 for the third consecutive year the United Nations said Friday warning that saving the planets glaciers was now a matter of survivalFive of the last six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record the UNs World Meteorological Organization said on the inaugural World Day for GlaciersPreservation of glaciers is a not just an environmental economic and societal necessity its a matter of survival said WMO chief Celeste SauloBeyond the continental ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica more than 275000 glaciers worldwide cover approximately 700000 square kilometres 270000 square miles the WMO saidBut they are rapidly shrinking due to climate changeThe 2024 hydrological year marked the third year in a row in which all 19 glacier regions experienced a net mass loss the WMO saidTogether they lost 450 billion tonnes of mass the agency said citing new data from the Swissbased World Glacier Monitoring Service WGMSIt was the fourthworst year on record with the worst being in 2023 Huge loss over 50 years From 20222024 we saw the largest threeyear loss of glaciers on record Saulo saidGlacier mass loss last year was relatively moderate in regions such as the Canadian Arctic and the peripheral glaciers of Greenland but glaciers in Scandinavia Norways Svalbard archipelago and North Asia experienced their worst year on recordBased on a compilation of worldwide observations the WGMS estimates that glaciers separate from the continental ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica have lost more than 9000 billion tonnes since records began in 1975This is equivalent to a huge ice block of the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 metres said WGMS director Michael ZempAt current rates of melting many glaciers in western Canada and the United States Scandinavia central Europe the Caucasus and New Zealand will not survive the 21st century the WMO saidThe agency said that together with ice sheets glaciers store around 70 percent of the worlds freshwater resources with high mountain regions acting like the worlds water towers If they disappear that would threaten water supplies for millions of people downstream Ignoring the problem For the UN the only possible response is to combat global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissionsWe can negotiate many things in the end but we cannot negotiate physical laws like the melting point of ice said Stefan Uhlenbrook the WMOs water and cryosphere directorHe declined to comment on the return to office of US President Donald Trump a climate change sceptic who has pulled the United States out of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accordsHowever Uhlenbrook said that ignoring the problem of climate change is maybe convenient for a short period of time but that will not help us to get closer to a solutionFor the inaugural World Day for Glaciers the WGMS named a US glacier as its first Glacier of the YearThe South Cascade Glacier in Washington state has been monitored continuously since the 1950s and provides one of the longest uninterrupted records of glaciological mass balance in the western hemisphereThe US Geological Survey the government body that studies the natural environment has measurements there going back to 1958 while WGMSs records there began even earlier in 1952This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever