International Desk: Some of the world’s most iconic glaciers could disappear by 2050 due to global warming from carbon emissions, according to a new UNESCO study.
UNESCO has identified 10 percent of the world’s 18,600 glaciers at 50 heritage sites. These include the highest (next to Mount Everest), the longest (in Alaska) and the last remaining glacier in Africa.
UNESCO says that if the temperature rise does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, the remaining one-third of the glaciers at the heritage sites can still be saved.
A UNESCO study has shown that these glaciers have started melting since 2000 due to this carbon dioxide. World Heritage glaciers melt an average of 58 billion tonnes of ice each year – the same amount of water used annually in France and Spain.
It threatens Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the islands of the Pacific Ocean.
In addition to drastically reducing carbon emissions, UNESCO is advocating the creation of an international fund for glacier monitoring and conservation. Such a fund is said to support detailed research, encourage development of communication mechanisms for mutual information sharing among all stakeholders and establish mechanisms for early warning and disaster risk reduction.
