Overview

• Global glaciers lost 450 billion tonnes of ice in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of record-breaking mass loss, according to the UN and WMO.
• Since 1975, over 9,000 billion tonnes of ice have melted, equivalent to a block the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters.
• The accelerated melting of glaciers threatens water supplies for billions, intensifies natural disasters, and contributes to sea-level rise, which has already risen by 10 cm in three decades.
• Scientists warn that many glaciers in regions like Canada, Scandinavia, and the Andes may disappear entirely by the end of the century if current trends persist.
• Calls for global climate action intensify, but concrete measures, including France's 2023 glacier protection pledge, remain largely unimplemented.