A third of world heritage glaciers under threat: UNESCO

A study conducted by the UN body has found, that a third of the glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage list is under threat, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases.

Key highlights of the Study

• Glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage List have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO₂ emissions, which are warming temperatures.
• Ice loss: They are currently losing 58 billion tonnes of ice every year, equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain.
• Sea-level rise: They are responsible for nearly 5% of the observed global sea level rise.

Required measures

• The study also says that it is still possible to save the other two-thirds if the rise in global temperature did not exceed 1.5°C compared to the preindustrial era.
• Only a rapid reduction in our CO₂ emission levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them.
• COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is advocating for the creation of a new international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation.
  • Such a fund would support comprehensive research, early warning, and disaster risk reduction measures.
• This study highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in nature-based solutions.

Several iconic landscapes found in World Heritage sites are:

• Fifty UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to glaciers, representing almost 10% of the Earth's total glacierized area.
  • They include the highest (next to Mt Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa.
  • Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina contains some of the largest glaciers on the Earth and is threatened by very large ice loss – about 60% of the current volume – by 2100.
  • In Europe, the disappearance of small glaciers is projected in the Pyrenees — Mont Perdu World Heritage site before 2040.
  • TeWahipounamu — South West New Zealand, which contains three-quarters of New Zealand’s glaciers, is projected to lose 25% to 80% of the current ice volume over the course of this century.

Significance of glaciers:

• Glaciers as Reservoirs: About three-quarters of Earth's freshwater is stored in glaciers. Therefore, glacier ice is the second-largest reservoir of water on Earth and the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth.
  • The cold runoff from glaciers also affects downstream water temperatures.
• Glacier-feeding Rivers: The Gangotri Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains, is the source of the Ganga River.
  • The Ganges is the most important source of fresh water and electricity in India and Bangladesh.
• Glaciers for Aquatic Life: Many aquatic species in mountainous environments require cold water temperatures to survive which is provided by Glaciers.
  • Some aquatic insects are especially sensitive to stream temperature and cannot survive without the cooling effects of glacial meltwater.
  • Such changes in stream habitat may also adversely impact native trout and other keystone salmon species.
• Glaciers for People: Glaciers provide people with many useful resources. Glacial till provides fertile soil for growing crops.
  • Deposits of sand and gravel are used to make concrete and asphalt.