Glaciers are shrinking faster than ever before, according to a new study on the topic. Since 2000, these massive ice rivers have lost over 6,500 billion tonnes of ice — about 5% of their total volume — and the melt rate keeps increasing, the BBC reported.
What’s happening?
Between 2000 and 2023, glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica lost about 270 billion tonnes of ice yearly.
To put this in perspective, Michael Zemp, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service and lead author of the study, explains that amount “corresponds to the [water] consumption of the entire global population in 30 years, assuming 3 litres per person and day.”
The situation is getting worse. Over the past decade, glacier losses increased by 36% compared to the 2000-11 period. The region with the most dramatic change is Central Europe, which lost 39% of its glacier ice in 23 years.
This new research, published in Nature, combines evidence from 35 research teams using different measurement techniques, making scientists more confident about what’s happening.
Why are melting glaciers important?
These frozen giants act as natural water towers, supplying hundreds of millions of people with fresh water during dry seasons. When they disappear, so does this water security.
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As Zemp put it, “What happens on the glacier doesn’t stay there.” The impacts reach far beyond mountain regions. If all glaciers melted completely, they would raise global sea levels by 32 centimeters (13 inches).
“Every centimeter of sea-level rise exposes another 2 million people to annual flooding somewhere on our planet,” Andy Shepherd, head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University, noted.
Global ocean levels have risen more than 20 centimeters since 1900, with half that increase happening just since the early 1990s.
What’s being done about glacier melt?
The future isn’t set in stone. How much glacier ice we lose depends on how quickly we can reduce rising temperatures from the burning of dirty fuels.
“Every tenth of a degree of warming that we can avoid will save some glaciers, and will save us from a lot of damage,” Zemp said.
Meeting global climate targets could limit glacier ice loss to about 25% by century’s end, while rising temperatures might melt nearly half of all remaining ice.
You can help by using clean electricity for your home. Consider rooftop solar panels or switching to a renewable energy provider. When shopping for appliances, look for energy-efficient models that save money and resources. And use your voice to support policies that protect our planet’s remarkable frozen landscapes for future generations.
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