2025 Declared International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation: A Call for Urgent Climate Action

Introduction

The United Nations has officially declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, highlighting the urgent need to protect these vital freshwater reservoirs. As the planet warms, glaciers—key indicators of climate change—are melting at accelerating rates, threatening freshwater supplies, ecosystems, and coastal communities around the globe.

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What Are Glaciers and Why Do They Matter?

• Glaciers are massive, slow-moving bodies of ice formed from layers of compacted snow
• They flow under the force of gravity and are extremely sensitive to temperature changes
• According to the Randolph Glacier Inventory, the Earth is home to approximately 275,000 glaciers

🧊 Glaciers store about 70% of the world’s freshwater
🌍 They play a critical role in the global water cycle, sustaining rivers, ecosystems, and communities

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Rising Risks from Melting Glaciers

As global temperatures rise:

• Glaciers are melting faster than ever before
• This contributes significantly to sea level rise
• Melting can lead to the formation of glacial lakes, which may result in Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

🌊 GLOFs pose severe risks to people, infrastructure, and agriculture in downstream areas
❄️ In polar regions, ice calving (when large chunks break off) disrupts ecosystems and accelerates sea level rise

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Himalayan Glaciers: The “Third Pole” Under Threat

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region is known as the “Third Pole”, home to the largest number of glaciers outside the polar areas. This region:

• Feeds 10 major rivers, including the Indus and Ganga
• Supports over 1.3 billion people in South Asia
• Contains 9,575 glaciers in the Indian Himalayan Region

However, these glaciers are now retreating due to rising temperatures and reduced snowfall, threatening agriculture, water supply, and energy security.

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Understanding Glacier Behaviour

Glaciers respond to climate change in complex ways:

• Western Himalayan glaciers are retreating rapidly
• In contrast, glaciers in the Karakoram region remain stable — a phenomenon called the Karakoram Anomaly

Factors influencing glacier behaviour include:

• Altitude and topography
• Debris cover
• Local climate variability

These elements make glacier monitoring essential for understanding and predicting regional water availability.

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Impacts of Glacier Retreat

• 🚱 Freshwater shortages affecting millions
• 🌾 Disruption of agriculture due to changes in snowfall patterns
• ⚠️ Increased risk of GLOFs threatening hydropower projects and mountain communities
• 💼 Socio-economic challenges linked to water stress and climate migration

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Global and National Responses

🌐 United Nations Initiatives

• 2025 marked as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
• Launch of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034)
  • Focused on glacier research, monitoring, and international collaboration

🇮🇳 India’s National Mission

• India has launched the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)
  • Addresses climate challenges in the Himalayas
  • Promotes conservation, sustainable development, and local adaptation strategies

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Conclusion

The declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation is a powerful reminder of the urgency of climate action. Glaciers are not only symbols of nature’s beauty but are also lifelines for billions of people. Protecting them is essential for ensuring water security, climate stability, and sustainable development in the decades to come.