Overview

• Glaciers worldwide have lost 9,000 gigatons of ice since 1975, equivalent to a 25-meter-thick ice block the size of Germany, with the past three years seeing the highest loss on record.
• Melting glaciers have contributed 18 millimeters to global sea level rise since 2000, increasing risks of flooding and displacement for coastal communities.
• The rapid ice loss, driven by human-caused climate change, threatens water supplies for 1.1 billion people in mountain regions and impacts agriculture and industry globally.
• Biodiversity is under threat as cold-water species lose habitats and ecosystems are forced to adapt to rising temperatures and reduced glacial water flow.
• The UN emphasizes the urgent need for coordinated global action to mitigate glacier loss, which could disrupt critical climate systems like the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).