{"id":44447,"date":"2025-05-30T19:32:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T14:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=44447"},"modified":"2025-05-30T19:32:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T14:02:18","slug":"24-percent-glaciers-remain-global-warming-2-7c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-05-2025\/24-percent-glaciers-remain-global-warming-2-7c","title":{"rendered":"Only 24% Present-Day Glaciers Will Remain if World Gets Warmer by 2.7\u00b0C"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to a new study published in the journal Science, If the world gets warmer by 2.7\u00b0C due to the current trajectory of climate policies, only 24% of the world\u2019s present-day glaciers will remain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are glaciers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are essentially <strong>large and thick masses of ice<\/strong> that are formed on land due to the accumulation of snow over centuries.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They hold <strong>70 per cent of the Earth\u2019s freshwater<\/strong>, currently encompassing around <strong>10 percent<\/strong> of the planet\u2019s land area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key findings of the study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Massive Glacier Loss: <\/strong>The study cautioned that even if temperatures stopped rising today, the world\u2019s glaciers would still lose <strong>39%<\/strong> of their mass, compared to 2020 levels, and that would lead to a <strong>sea level rise of 113 mm.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disproportionate Impact on Some Regions: <\/strong>Glaciers in Scandinavia, the Rockies in Western Canada and the US, and the European Alps are particularly vulnerable.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent glacier collapse in Blatten, Switzerland, which buried parts of a village, highlights this vulnerability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High Sensitivity to Incremental Warming:<\/strong> For every <strong>0.1\u00b0C increase<\/strong> in global temperature between 1.5\u00b0C and 3\u00b0C, there is a <strong>2% global glacier loss,<\/strong> with steeper regional impacts.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hindu Kush Himalaya Under Threat: <\/strong>The study estimates that only <strong>25% of ice will remain<\/strong> in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region at 2\u00b0C warming. This region feeds key river systems\u2013 Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra \u2013vital to South Asia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)<\/strong><br>&#8211; The HKH mountains extend around <strong>3,500 km<\/strong> over <strong>eight countries<\/strong> \u2014 Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan.<br>&#8211; These mountains are also called the <strong>\u201cwater towers of Asia<\/strong>\u201d because they are the<strong> origins of 10 crucial river systems <\/strong>on the continent \u2014 Amu Darya, Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow river, and Tarim.<br>1. These river basins provide water to almost one-fourth of the world\u2019s population and are a significant freshwater source for 240 million people in the HKH region.<br><br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"479\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdty5cDrxx_3X2wnhjIZOi-VwQJDXiont3h8DDztuIIMxywxD8cE61PMgrlBwT-axbdb6RZfOFHQzEwiwjLy0I5nWcp2AZsV6jP_oieIIxOjMie8_HHK90WhoiPkrr0Og7o0nYF8Q?key=P2-nUFeT2u4PferTbg79Vg\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Glaciers loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Water Security in South Asia: <\/strong>Himalayan glaciers serve as perennial sources for India\u2019s major rivers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Their depletion threatens agricultural output, drinking water supplies, and hydroelectric generation, particularly during the dry season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Risk: <\/strong>The glacier melt contributes to global sea-level rise, endangering coastal populations, particularly in low-lying nations like the Maldives and coastal Indian cities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecosystem Disruption:<\/strong> Glacial melt impacts mountain biodiversity, alpine ecosystems, and can lead to <strong>glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Socioeconomic Consequences:<\/strong> Loss of water sources may lead to climate-induced migration, conflict over resources, and increased poverty in already vulnerable regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Initiatives to conserve glaciers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Paris Agreement 2015<\/strong>, aims to limit global warming to well below 2\u00b0C, preferably to 1.5\u00b0C, above pre-industrial levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High Mountain Summit (WMO):<\/strong> Recognizes mountains and glaciers as climate sentinels and promotes early warning systems and enhanced data sharing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI):<\/strong> Established in<strong> 2009 <\/strong>as a result of the <strong>COP-15<\/strong>, it is a network of senior policy experts and researchers that works with governments and organizations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It creates and implements initiatives designed to preserve the Earth\u2019s cryosphere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)<\/strong> is a government initiative aimed at addressing climate change and its impacts on the Himalayan region.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It focuses on developing sustainable strategies, and addressing issues like glacial melt, natural hazards, and biodiversity loss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Arctic Council: <\/strong>It is a forum for Arctic countries to collaborate on environmental protection, sustainable development, and climate change mitigation in the Arctic region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Ice Monitoring Initiatives<\/strong> like the World Meteorological Organization&#8217;s <strong>Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW)<\/strong> and the European Space Agency&#8217;s <strong>CryoSat mission <\/strong>use satellite-based remote sensing to monitor changes in glaciers and ice sheets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The accelerating loss of glaciers due to rising global temperatures is a stark reminder of the urgent need for coordinated climate action.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While global initiatives such as the Paris Agreement and IPCC reports provide a strategic framework, their success hinges on timely implementation and increased ambition by all nations.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/study-only-24-present-day-glaciers-will-remain-if-world-gets-warmer-by-2-7c-10037465\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to a new study published in the journal Science, If the world gets warmer by 2.7\u00b0C due to the current trajectory of climate policies, only 24% of the world\u2019s present-day glaciers will remain.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What are glaciers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">They are essentially large and thick masses of ice that are formed on land due to the accumulation of snow over centuries.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">They hold 70 per cent of the Earth\u2019s freshwater, currently encompassing around 10 percent of the planet\u2019s land area.<\/li>\n<p><a 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