International Year of Glaciers' Preservation
File:Summit shot (west) from Semenovskogo.jpg
The year 2025 was declared the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation (IYGP2025) by the United Nations General Assembly to "highlight the importance of glaciers and ensure that those relying on them...receive the necessary.. services".{{Cite web |last=admin-news |date=2025-01-23 |title=2025 International Year of Glaciers' Preservation - |url=https://www.earthnews365.co.za/2025-international-year-of-glaciers-preservation/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |language=en-US}} The declaration was made at a request the mountainous country of Tajikistan made during 2022.{{Cite journal |date=2022-06-22 |title=Letter dated 16 June 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3979441?ln=en&v=pdf |journal=United Nations Digital Library |language=en}} Melting ice and glaciers threaten water security in many regions, including Tajikistan.{{Cite web |title=Melting glaciers threaten global water security |url=https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-threaten-global-water-security/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Earth.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Platform |first=Climate Adaptation |date=2025-01-23 |title=Melting Glaciers Threaten Central Asia's Food and Water Security |url=https://climateadaptationplatform.com/melting-glaciers-threaten-central-asias-food-and-water-security/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Climate Adaptation Platform |language=en-NZ}}
Objectives of the declaration include:
- Raising awareness of melting glaciers.
- Advocating changes in policy and sustainable measures to preserve glaciers.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-13 |title=International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025 |url=https://wmo.int/topics/cryosphere/launch-of-website-international-year-of-glaciers-preservation-2025#:~:text=IYGP%202025%20focuses%20on%20raising,sustainable%20measures%20to%20preserve%20glaciers. |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=World Meteorological Organization |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2014-05-04 |title=Open Forum on Science, Prediction, and Response to Global Decline in Mountain Snow and Ice |url=https://smallearth.org.np/activities/john-talk-2025/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=The Small Earth Nepal |language=en-US}}
This commemoration is co-facilitated by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization.{{Cite news |title=Governance |url=https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/governance |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250124215629/https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/governance |archive-date=2025-01-24 |access-date=2025-02-26 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=UN International Year Of Glacier Preservation |url=https://alpineclubofcanada.ca/un-international-year-of-glacier-preservation/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Alpine Club of Canada |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Canada IYGP |url=https://www.unglacieryear.ca/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Canada IYGP |language=en-CA}} The official launch will occur on March 21, which is also now the World Day for Glaciers.{{Cite news |title=Official launch event - 21 January 2025 |url=https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/official-launch-event |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250124214527/https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/official-launch-event |archive-date=2025-01-24 |access-date=2025-03-07 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Nations |first=United |title=World Day for Glaciers |url=https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-glaciers-day |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=United Nations |language=en}} The International Conference of Glaciers' Preservation will last from the May 29 -- June 1 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.{{Cite news |title=Towards the International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation in Dushanbe 2025 |url=https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/international-conference |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250124213138/https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/international-conference |archive-date=2025-01-24 |access-date=2025-03-07 |language=en}}
There are more than 275,000 glaciers in the world, covering about 700,000 km², and storing about 170,000 km3 of ice. This adds up to about 70% of the global freshwater.{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2025 |title=International Year of Glaciers' Preservation |url=https://www.un-glaciers.org/en/key-messages}} Glaciers yield important information about ecosystem health and history because atmospheric gases are preserved within the layers of ice, offering a precise timeline of the history of Earth's atmosphere.{{Cite web |last=Corp |first=Pelmorex |date=2025-03-21 |title=Celebrating the first World Day for Glaciers: A call to protect our ice |url=https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/climate/solutions/celebrating-the-first-world-day-for-glaciers-a-call-to-protect-our-ice-unesco |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=The Weather Network |language=en-ca}} The global sea-level rise of 20 cm from 1900 is partly a result of melting glaciers. {{Cite journal |last1=Frederikse |first1=Thomas |last2=Landerer |first2=Felix |last3=Caron |first3=Lambert |last4=Adhikari |first4=Surendra |last5=Parkes |first5=David |last6=Humphrey |first6=Vincent W. |last7=Dangendorf |first7=Sönke |last8=Hogarth |first8=Peter |last9=Zanna |first9=Laure |last10=Cheng |first10=Lijing |last11=Wu |first11=Yun-Hao |date=August 2020 |title=The causes of sea-level rise since 1900 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2591-3 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=584 |issue=7821 |pages=393–397 |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2591-3 |pmid=32814886 |issn=1476-4687}}