Some of the world’s most iconic glaciers are set to disappear by 2050, according to a new study by UNESCO.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) claims that 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to 18,600 glaciers, covering around 66,000 square kilometers (25,483 square miles).
These 50 sites represent about 10 percent of the Earth’s total glacierized area, including the highest (next to Mt. Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa, amongst others, giving a representative overview of the general situation of glaciers in the world.
UNESCO teamed up with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in a study that shows that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures.
Roryjm0, CC SA 4.0.
Perhaps more importantly, the glaciers in these 50 World Heritage sites are losing some 58 billion tons of ice each year, and contribute to almost 5 percent of observed sea level rise globally, according to NPR.org.
Africa’s last remaining glaciers at Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya will be gone by 2050, about 25 years from now. And the fastest-melting glaciers at Three Parallel Rivers National Park in China’s Yunnan province have lost over 57 percent of their mass since 2000.
In the U.S., the ice bodies or glaciers in Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks will likely have disappeared by 2050. The glaciers found along the U.S.-Canadian border at the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park have already lost more than a quarter of their volume in the last 20 years.
Other endangered glaciers include those in Italy’s Dolomites, France’s Pyrenees, Argentina’s Los Alerces National Park, Peru’s Huascarán National Park, and New Zealand’s Te Wahipounamu.
All that melting ice will lead to water scarcity
The melting glaciers have an impact not only on the environment but on people, said Bruno Oberle, director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in a statement released Thursday.
“When glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting rise in sea levels,” Oberle said.
“This study highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in Nature-based Solutions, which can help mitigate climate change and allow people to better adapt to its impacts,” he added.
We must not forget that nearly half of humanity depends directly or indirectly on glaciers as their water source for domestic use, agriculture, and power. Glaciers are also pillars of biodiversity, feeding many ecosystems.
