The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to highlight the importance of sustaining glaciers.
A glacier is a large mass of ice, snow, rock, and water that forms on land over hundreds of years and flows slowly because of its weight. From Antarctica and Russia to the Canadian Rockies, there are more than 275,000 glaciers worldwide. They are considered a vital source of life, accounting for 70% of global freshwater, which provides us with drinking water and supports many industries such as agriculture and hydropower.
Glaciers are important indicators of changing climate. Their physical changes provide scientists with evidence of changes in precipitation and temperature. As global temperatures rise, glaciers are shrinking at unprecedented rates.This leads to reduced runoff, contributing to rising sea levels, which are already 20 cm higher than in 1900. Higher temperatures also result in less snowfall and shorter periods of snow and ice accumulation.
Glacier ice contains a record of Earth’s climate history. As glaciers are made up of layers of snow and ice from hundreds of years ago, scientists can study the trapped gases and water molecules to observe past climates. With glaciers shrinking, scientists face the irreversible loss of this natural archive. Additionally, glacier retreat impacts global biodiversity and essential ecosystems.
Indigenous peoples in Asia, Latin America, and Pacific and East Africa consider glaciers to be the homes of gods and spirits. The disappearance of glaciers could result in a loss of cultural heritage and spiritual connection to their land.
In response to the growing concern over melting glaciers, on December 14, 2022, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the resolution declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP 2025). They also established March 21st as World Day for Glaciers to be marked annually.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with organizations and governments, are facilitating the implementation of IYGP 2025. They aim to highlight the critical role of glaciers in the climate system and hydrological cycle, and to emphasize the devastating impact of their rapid melt. IYGP 2025 will advocate for governments to make policy changes to preserve glaciers and seek to promote further research on glaciers.
WMO and UNESCO have set up an advisory board and four task forces to lead the efforts of IYGP 2025. The task forces are implementing specific components of IYGP 2025 larger goals.
The task forces are:
These task forces, along with the advisory board represent over 35 countries and 75 international organizations. The advisory board is co-chaired by Dr. John Pomeroy, appointed by UNESCO, and Dr. Carolina Adler, appointed by the WMO.
Dr. Pomeroy is the director of the Global Water Futures and Global Water Futures Observatories programs at USask and the director of USask’s Centre for Hydrology. He also is a Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change and a UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability. Pomeroy received his education from the University of Saskatchewan and holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geography and a PhD in Agricultural Engineering.
Decades ago, Pomeroy and Bob Sandford, Global Water Futures Chair in Water and Climate Security at the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, met in Canmore, Alberta and discussed common goals surrounding the environment. In 2013, Sandford had unsuccessfully tried to declare a year for snow and ice. Pomeroy and Sandford went on to bring up this concept at international meetings. They received support from the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, for the idea and the resolution for IYGP 2025 was unanimously passed at the UN General Assembly.
Pomeroy claims that glacier loss would change water flow through Saskatchewan, as the sources of the Saskatchewan River system are glaciated and are vital suppliers of water during the driest and hottest seasons. This could negatively impact wildlife, such as fish species that depend on colder waters to survive the summer. Additionally, warmer temperatures and reduced spring snowpacks could increase the frequency of wildfires. The soot from these wildfires accelerates glacier melt.
Pomeroy explains that glaciers function like dams because they gradually supply water to streams and groundwater. “We’ve had nature providing a tremendous service to us in Western Canada, ” he tells CBC. “We’re losing that service right now.”
IYGP 2025 is officially launching on January 21 and there are many ways to get involved. To view a calendar of official and partner events of IYGP 2025, visit: https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/events?hub=32. You can also plan your own event, such as an educational campaign or a community gathering, and add it to this list of events. If you have conducted research you can share your content at the following link: https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/share-content. Additionally, you can join one of the four task forces by visiting: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=VL6m6odGxECYJ8BEvY6NPNNHTLVOq_xOjXfPOU2AA9tUN005RUZDM0EwT0NMMEZJMUFQMTJHS1cxTC4u&route=shorturl.
Together, this global initiative can help prevent the further melt of glaciers, preserve the ecosystems that rely on them, and ensure the security of the earth’s freshwater resources.