World s glaciers are losing record ice as global temperatures climb U N says

GENEVA - Glaciers around the globe are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year period seeing the largest glacial mass loss on record, according to a Unesco report released on March 21.

The 9,000 gigatons of ice lost from glaciers since 1975 are roughly equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany with the thickness of 25m, Mr Michael Zemp, director of the Switzerland-based World Glacier Monitoring Service, said during a press conference announcing the report at the UN headquarters in Geneva.

The dramatic ice loss, from the Arctic to the Alps, from South America to the Tibetan Plateau, is expected to accelerate as climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, pushes global temperatures higher.

This would likely exacerbate economic, environmental and social problems across the world as sea levels rise and these key water sources dwindle.

The report coincides with a Unesco summit in Paris marking the first World Day for Glaciers, urging global action to protect glaciers around the world.

Mr Zemp said that five of the last six years registered the largest losses, with glaciers losing 450 gigatons of mass in 2024 alone.

The accelerated loss has made mountain glaciers one of the largest contributors to sea level rise, putting millions at risk of devastating floods and damaging water routes that billions of people depend on for hydroelectric energy and agriculture.

Mr Stefan Uhlenbrook, the director of water and cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO),said that about 275,000 glaciers remain globally which, along with the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, comprise about 70 per cent of the worlds freshwater.

We need to advance our scientific knowledge, we need to advance through better observing systems, through better forecasts and better early warning systems for the planet and the people, Mr Uhlenbrook said.