"Melting glaciers threaten food and water supplies for 2 billion people," UN warns

Glaciers threaten the food and water supplies of 2 billion people worldwide, the UN has warned, as current "unprecedented" rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.

According to a UNESCO report, two-thirds of all agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by melting glaciers, driven by the climate crisis.

It is known that more than 1 billion people live in mountainous regions and, of those in developing countries, up to half are already experiencing food insecurity.

This is likely to worsen, as food production in such regions depends on mountain waters, snowmelt and glaciers, according to the World Water Development Report 2025.

Developed countries are also at risk: in the US, for example, the Colorado River basin has been in drought since 2000 and higher temperatures mean less rainfall.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, said: “No matter where we live, we all depend in some way on mountains and glaciers. But these natural water towers are facing imminent danger. This report shows the urgent need for action.”

The rate of glacier change is reportedly the worst on record, according to a separate study by the World Meteorological Organization, which published its annual report on the state of the climate this week. the Guardian, the Telegraph reports.

The largest three-year loss of glacier mass on record has occurred in the past three years, the study found, with Norway, Sweden, Svalbard and the tropical Andes among the most affected areas.

East Africa has lost 80% of its glaciers in places and, in the Andes, nearly half of the glaciers have melted since 1998.

Glaciers in the Alps and Pyrenees, the most affected in Europe, have shrunk by about 40% over the same period.

"The melting of glaciers has had a further impact," added Abou Amani, director of water sciences at UNESCO.

"The melting of glaciers has an impact on the reflection of solar radiation and this will affect the entire climate system," he warned.

More avalanches will also result, as rain falling on snow is a major factor behind the formation of avalanches.

Water accumulated from melting glaciers can also be released, causing flash floods in valleys or on people living further down the slopes.

Also, permafrost is melting, releasing methane from mountain soils that are exposing melting glaciers.

In contrast, a previous study, published last month in Nature, found that half of the global glacier mass would be lost by the end of the century if global warming were not stopped.

Alex Brisbourne, a glaciologist at British Antarctic Survey, said: “Mountain glaciers contain some of the largest freshwater reservoirs on Earth. The meltwater released in the summer provides the water supply for a billion people. The impact of such glacier melt will be felt immediately.” /Telegraph/