A new UNESCO report states that glaciers in the Dolomites in Italy, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the USA could disappear by 2050 due to global warming. The development gives world leaders much to think about as they prepare for the COP27 climate conference starting Sunday, November 6.
UNESCO surveys around 18,600 glaciers across 50 World Heritage sites. According to their findings, we can still save other glaciers around the world by keeping the global temperature at a level below 1.5 degrees celsius. UNESCO suggests in the report that rapid reduction in CO2 emission levels can save glaciers. The organization also wants to set up an international fund to monitor and preserve glaciers. If we do not take action now, 50% of these glaciers could disappear completely by 2100.
“This report is a call to action. Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.
Earlier this year, BBC published a report on the disappearance of glaciers in Switzerland, stating that it poses a threat to Europe’s tourism sector across the alps and also worsens the problem of diminishing water supply. In the article, Bernhard Tschannen, owner of cable car company Glacier 3000, described his first-hand observations of only bare rock on mountains once covered in ice. The loss of volume in ice could have also contributes to the rise in sea levels post the year 2000. Since residents around the area depend on these glaciers as their primary water source, this is a challenging situation. Rapid melting of glaciers can also cause flooding, leading to further loss of life and displacement of communities.
Now, all eyes are on the upcoming COP27 conference, which could be instrumental in finding a solution to prevent glaciers across the globe from meeting this fate, among other pressing environmental issues. The conference is scheduled from November 6 to November 11 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
