Record Glacier Melting Threatens Global Water Security and Coastal Communities

The UN warns that glacier mass loss is accelerating, endangering freshwater supplies, increasing natural hazards, and driving sea level rise.

Glaciers worldwide lost 450 billion tons of ice in 2024, marking the fourth worst year for glacier mass loss on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Since 1975, glaciers have shed over 9,000 billion tons of ice, equivalent to an ice block the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters.
Nearly 2 billion people rely on glaciers for freshwater, and their retreat threatens water and food security, particularly in mountainous and downstream regions.
Melting glaciers are a major contributor to global sea level rise, which has increased by 18 millimeters since 2000, exposing millions to annual flooding risks.
The UN has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation and launched the first World Day for Glaciers to raise awareness of the urgent need for climate action.