Melting glaciers, the accelerating rate of climate change and growing water insecurity were some of the key messages at a high level ceremony in New York on 21 March to celebrate the first ever World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day .
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are co-coordinators of the World Day for Glaciers and the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation (2025).
"Glaciers are among the most visible and dramatically changing indicators of climate change," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo told the high-level ceremony, citing new WMO figures.
- The largest loss of glacier mass on record occurred in the past three years, and in all 19 glacier regions, according to the new WMO State of the Global Climate 2024 report .
- The World Glacier Monitoring Service estimates that since 2020 , annual global glacier loss amounts to 30 years of global water consumption. During this period, glacier melt contributed 18 millimetres to global sea-level rise, increasing the risk of coastal flooding for hundreds of thousands of people.
- To give another perspective. Glaciers have lost a total of more than 9,000 gigatonnes since 1975. This is the equivalent of a huge block of ice block the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters.
"This accelerated melting increases disaster risks, threatens ecosystems and disrupts the water cycle. Unfortunately, glacier retreat endangers existing water supplies of millions of people, putting at risk drinking water supply, food security, and energy production. Every fraction of a degree of warming matters," said Celeste Saulo.
The high-level ceremony in New York was one of a number of activities marking World Glacier Day , which is 21 March, and World Water Day on 22 March.
A separate ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, launched the 2025 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report . It highlights the importance of mountain waters, including alpine glaciers, which are vital for meeting basic human needs such as water supply and sanitation.
They are also essential to ensuring food and energy security to billions of people living in and around mountain regions and areas downstream. They also support economic growth through various water-reliant industries.
As the 'water towers' of the world, mountains are an essential source of fresh water. They store water in the form of ice and snow during cold seasons, releasing it during warmer seasons as a major source of fresh water for users downstream. Mountains play a unique and critical role in the global water cycle, and they affect atmospheric circulation, which drives weather and precipitation patterns.
Full coverage of the World Glacier Day/World Water Day ceremony from UN News
