The Retreat of Glaciers in the 21st Century

A recent UNESCO study on protected glaciers around the world highlights the particularly severe impact of climate change on the Arctic region, where glacier and ice cap melting is generally faster than in the Antarctic zone (Southern Hemisphere). With estimated net losses of several hundred billion tons of ice since 2000, the sites most affected by melting were the Kluane, Wrangell-Saint Elias, Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek parks in Alaska, United States, and Canada, the Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland and the Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland. The largest glacier in the Alps, located in the Jungfrau-Aletsch region of Switzerland, is the ninth most impacted site on the list, with a net loss of 7 billion tons of ice over twenty years.

Glaciers are crucial resources on Earth as they fulfill the vital water needs of half of humanity for domestic use, agriculture and hydroelectric power. Additionally, they often hold cultural and touristic significance for local communities. Over 18,000 glaciers have been identified in the 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites included in the study. These glaciers cover an area of approximately 66,000 km², amounting to nearly 10 percent of the Earth's glacial surface. Satellite analyses show that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated pace since 2000. This global retreat is one of the most tangible pieces of evidence of climate change.

Glaciers designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites are currently losing an average of around 58 billion tons of ice annually, equivalent to the total annual water consumption of France and Spain combined, contributing to nearly 5 percent of the rise in sea levels. According to UNESCO, projections indicate that glaciers in one-third of the designated glacier sites will disappear by 2050, regardless of the applied climate scenario.

Written by: Tristan Gaudiaut

Translated by: Anna Fleck