The melting of polar ice caps due to climate change is well-publicised. The image of a polar bear stranded on a small sheet of ice floating in the vast Antarctic ocean is imprinted on our minds. A study by UNESCO has shown that melting ice is an intensifying threat not just on the poles but globally, from Africa to North America. A joint investigation by UNESCO and IUCN has shown that the glaciers in several UNESCO World Heritage sites will be entirely gone by 2050. These include popular tourist spots like the glaciers in Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks.
There are 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites distributed all across the world that house glaciers. Researchers have identified a total of 18,600 glaciers in these 50 sites. Together, these glaciers cover around an area of 66,000 sq km. However, a recent study by UNESCO, in partnership with IUCN, has shown that these massive bodies of ice have been retreating at an increased pace since 2000. These glaciers are presently losing 58 billion tons of ice every year. This accounts for close to 5 percent of the observed international rise in sea levels.
The study said that one-third of the glaciers in these 50 World Heritage sites would disappear, irrespective of human efforts to restrict temperature increases.
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Data suggests that all the World Heritage sites in Africa, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya, are likely to lose their glaciers by 2050. In Europe, glaciers in Pyrenees Mont Perdu in France and Spain, and the Dolomites in Italy, are very likely to disappear by 2050. This is also the prediction when it comes to glaciers in Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks in the US.
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The rapid melting of glaciers means water scarcity for millions of people. It also translates to a heightened risk of natural disasters like flooding. Millions of people will also be forced to leave their homes and cities due to rising sea levels.
While it is nearly impossible to save the glaciers in one-third of the locations, the remaining can be saved if the rise in temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the temperature levels in the pre-industrial period.
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