2025: International Year of Glaciers' Preservation
- Pierre Lambert
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
The declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) by the United Nations marks a critical recognition of glaciers’ role in regulating Earth’s climate and hydrological systems. This initiative, spearheaded by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), aligns with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and seeks to stimulate a coordinated response to the accelerating degradation of cryospheric environments.
The science of glacier retreat
According to WMO's State of the Global Climate 2023 report, glaciers worldwide lost an average thickness of over 1.2 metres in 2022 alone, the highest on record since systematic measurements began in the 1970s. The Swiss Alps experienced some of the most acute losses, with up to 6% of total glacier volume vanishing in a single year.
Glaciers act as “climate sentinels” due to their sensitivity to temperature changes. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that global glacier mass loss contributed to 21% of observed sea-level rise between 2006 and 2018, an equivalent of 0.74 mm per year. These changes are not uniform; high-mountain Asia, home to the Himalayan cryosphere, is particularly vulnerable, placing over 1.9 billion people at risk due to downstream water dependency.
Key IYGP 2025 initiatives
Global science mobilisation
The IYGP will mobilise scientific communities to:
· Enhance remote sensing and in situ cryospheric monitoring.
· Develop improved glacier mass balance models integrating AI for predictive analytics.
· Strengthen data-sharing via the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G).
Policy and international cooperation
Major events include:
· International Glacier Preservation Conference, May 2025, Dushanbe: expected to produce a policy roadmap for integrating cryosphere into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
· World Day for Glaciers, 21 March annually from 2025: focusing on transboundary glacier basin governance, particularly across Central Asia, the Andes, and the Alps.
Implications for water and energy security
Beyond their role in climate regulation, glaciers are natural freshwater reservoirs, critical for irrigation, drinking water, and hydroelectric power. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region alone supports 1.6 billion people with glacier-fed river systems. A projected two-thirds loss of glacier volume by 2100 under high-emissions scenarios (RCP8.5) would disrupt these socio-economic systems, leading to increased climate migration and infrastructure vulnerability.
Call for global action
The IYGP represents a turning point for recognising glaciers within international climate mechanisms. The initiative is expected to influence the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, and inform decisions under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
International cooperation—especially through funding mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Adaptation Fund—is essential to support glacier monitoring, early warning systems, and resilience-building in high-altitude communities.
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