Major Report Released on Mountain Glaciers in World Heritage Sites

News Briefing: 2 November 2022

The UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), supported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and various scientific institutions, has released a report on the global state of mountain glaciers with a clear message: limiting global warming to 1.5°C could save glaciers in two-thirds of World Heritage sites. There are 19,000 glaciers located in World Heritage sites, representing nearly 10% of the planet’s glacier area, and they carry deep cultural and natural importance. These glaciers have been retreating at an accelerating rate for more than two decades. This report warns that half of the glaciers in World Heritage sites will likely disappear by 2100 if emissions continue under a “business-as-usual” scenario. The most important protective measure to counteract glacier retreat is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If emissions are reduced to keep global temperature rise within the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement, glaciers in more than two-thirds of World Heritage sites could be saved. The Report also provides recommendations on several adaptive steps. These include improving the monitoring of glaciers, working with Indigenous peoples to bridge knowledge gaps, and developing early warning systems for floods and other disasters associated with glacial retreat to aid local communities.

https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2022-040-En.pdf