Climate change

UN: Global Glacier Melt Threatens Water Supply for Two Billion People

MAR 21 2025·Updated AUG 4 2025

Story

Above: Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, on March 16, 2019. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

According to a comprehensive report published by the UN on Friday, the world's glaciers have lost over 9,000 billion tonnes of ice since 1975, equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters.
guardian
UN World Water Development Report
Dw.Com
According to the report, mountains provide up to 60% of the world's annual freshwater flows, supporting over 2 billion people who depend on glacier and mountain water for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture, and contribute to two-thirds of global irrigated agriculture.
Carbon Brief
guardian
It found that 2022 to 2024 witnessed the largest three-year loss of glacier mass on record, with all 19 glacier regions experiencing net mass loss, though the effect was particularly severe in Scandinavia, Svalbard, and North Asia.
World Meteorological Organization
Health Policy Watch News
Between 2000 and 2023, glaciers lost 5% of their remaining ice, with regional losses ranging from 2% in Antarctic regions to almost 40% in Central Europe. This, the report revealed, led to an 18mm rise in global sea levels.
World Meteorological Organization
Health Policy Watch News
The UN warned that many glaciers in Western Canada, the US, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Caucasus, New Zealand, and the tropics aren't expected to survive the 21st century, posing a threat to water security and increasing flood risks.
ReliefWeb
Dw.Com
Additionally, the accelerated glacier melt is reportedly increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, with over 12K deaths recorded in the past 200 years and more frequent occurrences expected in the future.
Scroll.in
Carbon Brief

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

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CRIT

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PRO
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The Spin

Narrative A

Every millimeter of sea-level rise from glacier melt contributes significantly to global sea-level rise, exposes thousands to annual flooding, and threatens water security for billions. The rapid loss of glaciers is an immediate environmental and economic crisis that demands urgent global action.

UN World Water Development Report

Deccan Herald

Narrative B

Mountain communities have successfully adapted to changing conditions through traditional knowledge and practices for generations. Solutions such as artificial dams, early warning systems, and innovative water storage methods highlight that communities can develop effective responses to glacier loss.

Carbon Brief

Sciencedirect