UN's Chilling Warning... "Glaciers Melting Rapidly, Billions Face Survival Crisis"

Record Glacier Loss in the Past Three Years
Rising Sea Levels Bring Imminent Food Crisis

As the speed at which glaciers around the world are melting accelerates due to global warming and other climate crises, the United Nations has issued a warning that at least billions of people could face threats to their survival due to food shortages.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, released the 'World Water Development Report' on March 21 (local time), a day before World Water Day (March 22). The report stated that the rate of glacier melting worldwide has been accelerating over the past three years, with the area lost during this period reaching a record high.

According to Michael Zemp, Director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), approximately 9,000 GT (gigatons; 1 GT equals 1 billion tons) of glacier ice has disappeared over the past 50 years from 1975 to this year. This amount of ice could cover the entire area of Germany with a thickness of 25 meters. Moreover, 450 GT of glacier ice disappeared in just the past year alone.

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Glaciers have melted across all continents around the globe, from the Arctic to the European Alps, South America, and the Tibetan Plateau in Asia. Such rapid glacier melting causes serious problems. Experts warn that as glaciers melt, sea levels rise, causing many people to lose their habitats, and disrupting the Earth's overall water cycle, which could lead to food shortages for billions of people.

Water flowing from glaciers is used as drinking water and agricultural water by billions of people worldwide. According to the UNESCO report, two-thirds of global irrigated agriculture is affected by glacier loss. UNESCO also predicts that if glaciers continue to melt at the current rate, 2 billion people worldwide could face shortages of water and food. This food crisis could occur not only in mountainous regions and developing countries but also in developed countries such as the United States.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, said, "Wherever we live, we all depend on mountains and glaciers in some way," adding, "But this natural 'Water tower' is facing a serious threat."