Image Source: UNESCO

UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have officially launched the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) 2025, signaling a critical moment for global efforts to protect the world's glaciers. These ice formations provide essential freshwater to over 2 billion people worldwide, yet are rapidly melting due to climate change. The initiative, announced today, aims to raise awareness and galvanize actions to address the accelerating loss of glaciers, which play a pivotal role in the climate system and global water cycle.

The IYGP will feature a year-long series of events and activities aimed at highlighting the importance of glaciers, snow, and ice, while focusing on the urgent challenges posed by their rapid retreat. By mobilizing the global community, this initiative hopes to inspire policies and solutions to safeguard these vital water sources for future generations.

Melting Glaciers: A Growing Threat to Water Security

Glaciers, often referred to as the "water towers of the world," store around 70% of Earth's freshwater and provide critical resources for agriculture, drinking water, and energy production. However, the world's glaciers, which span more than 700,000 km², are shrinking at an unprecedented rate. In 2023, glaciers experienced the largest mass loss in five decades, with all regions reporting significant ice loss.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned of the dire implications: "2024 was the warmest year on record, and glaciers continue to retreat at alarming rates. This international year must be a wake-up call to the world." With glacier loss, many communities face not only immediate risks of floods, avalanches, and droughts but also the long-term threat of water scarcity, especially in regions dependent on glacier-fed rivers like the Himalayas and Andes.

In response, the IYGP initiative includes expanding global glacier monitoring, developing early warning systems for glacier-related hazards, and promoting sustainable water management in glacier-dependent regions. The collaboration of over 75 organizations and 35 countries is aimed at enhancing scientific understanding and practical solutions to mitigate the impacts of glacial retreat.

Preserving Cultural and Scientific Heritage

Beyond their environmental and economic importance, glaciers are integral to humanity’s cultural and scientific heritage. For many Indigenous communities, glaciers hold spiritual significance, and their loss would mean the erasure of sacred cultural sites. Glaciers also preserve invaluable historical records of Earth's climate and human activity, acting as time capsules that provide insights into past environmental conditions.

Carolina Adler, co-chair of the Mountain Research Initiative, emphasized the far-reaching consequences: "As glaciers disappear, we lose not only critical water sources but also irreplaceable archives of human and environmental history. These losses are irreversible and threaten both natural ecosystems and cultural legacies."

The IYGP will focus on preserving these cultural and environmental treasures, raising awareness about their significance, and engaging youth in efforts to protect the cryosphere. The initiative will also highlight the links between glacier preservation and broader global challenges such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.

Image Source: IYGP 2025