On March 21, the United Nations will officially declare the first World Day for Glaciers. Simultaneous events at the UN headquarters in New York and at the United Nations Education and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris will bring together glaciologists, policymakers and the media to focus on the issue of melting glaciers. 

These efforts are driven by a recognition of the crucial role that glaciers play for ecosystems, tourism, Indigenous peoples and freshwater supplies. Seventy percent of the world’s freshwater is stored in ice or snow. Glacial meltwater forms a critical source of drinking water for two billion people. Rising temperatures are changing water systems. In 2023, according to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, glaciers lost 600 gigatons of water, the largest measurement in 50 years. In the 1970s and 1980s, glaciers in most regions were close to balanced or had slightly negative conditions. In 2022 and 2023 all glaciated regions reported ice loss. The decline has caused an increase in landslides, downstream flooding and sea-level rise. For countries with glaciers, communities who live downstream of glaciers, or populations at risk from sea-level rise, these increases are a pressing issue.

The World Day for Glaciers forms part of a broader campaign to bring glacier preservation and support of cryospheric science to the forefront of international diplomatic dialogue. Following the adoption of a December 2022 resolution proposed by the government of Tajikistan, the UN designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and 2025-2034 as the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences. UNESCO and the WMO are leading the implementation of these campaigns. 

Sulagna Mishra, a scientific officer at the WMO, told GlacierHub that designating a day for glaciers is meant to encourage advocacy, raise awareness and encourage the mobilization of research funds. These short-term aims are scaffolded by the longer term designated year and decade, which seek to provide a platform to bring different NGOs, stakeholders and funders together.

The primary cause of glacial retreat is increased average temperatures due to rising greenhouse gas emissions. Without the direct ability to reduce global emissions, these international campaigns cannot by themselves preserve glaciers: their impact must come as a result of bringing attention to the significance of melting glaciers. Lisa Dale, director of the M.A. in Climate and Society program at the Columbia Climate School, told GlacierHub that she was skeptical “that a UN year would make much of a difference in disaster-related outcomes related to glacier melt.” However, she said, there might be “adjacent benefits.” 

One of these benefits could be an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the cryosphere. Anil Mishra, chief of hydrological systems, climate change and adaptation at UNESCO, said that a successful outcome for the decade for cryospheric sciences could be the establishment of a body similar to the International Hydrological Programme, the only UN organization that manages intergovernmental cooperation on water related issues. Despite the geopolitical issues caused by glacial melting, there is currently no equivalent body for the cryosphere at the UN.

Part of UNESCO and WMO’s strategy is to piggyback on prior successes from similar initiatives. For example, the International Hydrological Programme was founded by a UN campaign in 1975 following the International Hydrological Decade. Similarly, the World Water Development Report, an annual survey on water related issues, is released annually on World Water Day. UNESCO will dedicate the 2025 report to the issue of melting glaciers. World Water Day takes place on March 22, and will be themed “glacier preservation.”

On March 20, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, scientists and experts will lead brainstorming sessions on the research and science of cryosphere observation. Sessions will focus on the socioeconomic impacts of glacial melt, policy and education, with a session on finance hosted by the Asian Development Bank. In Paris, on March 21, UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay will open the event, followed by roundtable discussion from government ministers representing Tajikistan, France and Italy as well as delegations from Latin America, Africa and Arab states. These sessions are open to all, and are intended to share best practices on mitigating and adapting to glacier melt. 

In New York at the UN headquarters, the March 21 event will feature remarks from the UN secretary general, the WMO secretary general and the permanent mission to the UN of Tajikistan. World Glacier Day and World Water Day will both be celebrated, with experts leading panel discussions on each topic. Unlike the UNESCO event in Paris, this event will not be open to the public.

The events in Paris and New York come before an international conference hosted in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, from May 29 to June 1. Heads of delegations will deliver political statements, conferences will bring together different stakeholders from the private, academic and public spheres. Participants will be invited on field trips to observe glacier degradation and examples of sustainable development. 

Tajikistan is particularly at risk from glacial melting. It has already lost over one thousand glaciers, which has significant ramifications for a nation in which about 80% of its agricultural production comes from irrigated lands. It emits a relatively small volume of greenhouse gases, deriving most of its electricity from renewable sources, in particular hydropower. While Tajikistan suffers the impacts of climate change caused by much larger emitters, it has little power to directly influence these global emissions.

At current levels of warming, most glaciers have locked in years of melting. UNESCO and WMO have outlined several key initiatives for the International Year of Glacier Preservation, in order to adapt to this increased glacial melting. These include expanding glacier monitoring and early warning systems, sustainable water management programs and preserving cultural heritage related to glaciers. 

While these aims are small compared to the root cause of the problem, they could be impactful.

Scott Barrett, Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, made the following comparison. He told GlacierHub that in 1965, “The White House was looking for a program it could announce as the US contribution to the UN’s International Cooperation Year. [Donald Henderson, an American physician] proposed a plan for a five-year smallpox eradication and measles control program… It was approved by President Lyndon Johnson… [and] achieved its goal in 1977.” Likewise, the UN’s attempt to draw attention to glacier preservation could be fruitful. The question becomes whether it can find the right kind of support.