One-third of World Heritage glaciers are expected to disappear by 2050: The melting to be affected a million

The last remaining glaciers in Africa, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya, are expected to melt by 2050. The glaciers at Three Parallel Rivers National Park in China’s Yunnan province are melting the fastest. 

There are 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites with glaciers in North America and other parts of the world. According to a recent study, a third of them will have no glaciers by 2050 as a result of carbon emissions warming the planet. The glaciers were losing 58 billion tonnes of ice annually, or roughly 5% of the observed rise in sea level, which is equal to the combined annual water use of France and Spain, as further stated by UNESCO.

All of the magnificent natural heritages are in danger of extinction

The glaciers in Yellowstone and Yosemite National Park in the United States will most likely be gone by 2050. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park’s glaciers have lost more than a quarter of their volume in the last 20 years. Other glaciers are also in danger, including those in the Dolomites in Italy, the Pyrenees in France, the Los Alerces National Park in Argentina, the Huascarán National Park in Peru, and Te Wahipounamu in New Zealand. 

“Glaciers in a third of the 50 World Heritage sites are condemned to disappear by 2050, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases,” UNESCO said. The remaining two-thirds can be saved with immediate actions and efforts. To achieve this, global temperatures should not rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.

Millions will endure the consequences of such rapid melting

In a statement released Thursday, Bruno Oberle, director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, stated that melting glaciers will not only harm the environment but will also endanger the lives of millions of people.

It’s time for a global collaboration   

As the world’s climate leaders gather for COP27, UNESCO advocated for the creation of an international fund for glacier surveillance and preservation, which would support research, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and enforce disaster risk and early warning metrics.

“This report is a call to action,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay urged. “Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them.”