UN urges international action to prevent global glacier loss – JURIST
The United Nations called for global action to reduce climate change’s impact on water-related ecosystems in an international preservation conference on Friday.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed attended the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, held in Tajikistan. While delivering opening remarks, she highlighted the reliance that the community has on glaciers as a vital source of water. She said that Tajikistan’s own Vanj Yakh Glacier provides water to Central Asia, “feeding rivers and helping to sustain millions of lives and livelihoods.” Mohammed warned that the impact of climate change is therefore critical.
The UN warned that these crucial glaciers have “lost 9,000 gigatons of ice since 1975, threatening water supplies, agriculture, and coastal communities” as a result of climate change. Mohammed additionally highlighted the impact on young people and the importance of youth climate activists in global decisions. Youth activist Fariza Dzhobirova told the UN that “water is becoming less accessible,” communities are being impacted by natural disasters, and farmers can no longer irrigate their land.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which is leading the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025, also warned that “our glaciers are dying.” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said: “Nepal recently declared the loss of Langtang’s Yala Glacier. Venezuela has become the second country in the world after Slovenia to lose all its glaciers. The death of a glacier means much more than the loss of ice. It is a mortal blow to our ecosystems, economics, and social fabric.”
The WMO further warned of natural disasters as a consequence of glacier melt, such as landslides, avalanches, and floods. The organization said that this has the potential to disproportionately impact developing countries, many of which lack “multi-hazard early warnings.” The WMO called for “rapid global emissions cuts, enhanced monitoring, and decisive political commitments.”
Earlier in May, when addressing the melting ice in Nepal, the UN urged the international community to “act without delay to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” in line with goals set out by the Paris Agreement.
