Glaciers, an essential source of life around our mountains

Glaciers, vast reserves of ice and snow found across the planet, are far more than frozen landscapes - they are lifelines for ecosystems and communities, holding around 70 percent of the world's freshwater.

Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis but also a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure.

This International Day of Mountains, with the theme “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”, highlights the critical role mountain regions play as a key source of global freshwater and calls for immediate measures to avoid the glaciers’ disappearance.