Retreating glaciers

The latest report from the United Nations has once again confirmed that all 19 of the world’s glacier regions lost mass in 2024. This has happened for the third consecutive year, making it a worldwide crisis unfolding in real-time. What is more, the experts are saying that the trend is accelerating.

However, the retreat of glaciers is not of a recent occurrence. According to the study, since records began in 1975, glaciers separate from the massive ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica have lost over 9,000 billion tonnes of ice. In geographical terms, that is the equivalent of an ice block the size of Germany, 25 meters thick, simply disappearing.

This is a troubling state of affairs as these aren’t abstract statistics. Glaciers store around 70% of the world’s freshwater, feeding rivers, sustaining agriculture, and providing drinking water for millions of people. As is obvious, if they continue to shrink, this will disrupt entire ecosystems and confront the communities downstream with an uncertain future.

The study has come at a time when the world is witnessing resurgence of climate scepticism led by no less than the US president Donald Trump.  Trump, who was re-elected after Joe Biden, has vowed to "drill, baby, drill" -  his plan to boost fossil fuel production and reverse climate policies and regulations. This includes withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.

While this is a source of concern for the world at large, the places like Kashmir will be most impacted. The region’s glaciers too have suffered a conspicuous retreat over the past few decades. This includes Kolahoi glacier, the Valley’s largest, which, according to a study, has lost 23% of its mass. Also called a hanging glacier in the Valley, Kolahoi is a significant source of water for the Lidder River, a critical source of water and irrigation in south Kashmir.

However, climate change is a global phenomenon, and no local solution is going to work beyond a point. So, this calls for a concerted international response over an extended period. If meaningful action is not taken to reduce emissions and curb warming, the world’s glaciers, including those in Kashmir, may not survive this century.