Glaciers, an essential source of life around our mountains
Glaciers, vast reserves of ice and snow found across the planet, are far more than frozen landscapes - they are lifelines for ecosystems and communities, holding around 70 percent of the world's freshwater.
Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis but also a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure.
This International Day of Mountains, with the theme “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”, highlights the critical role mountain regions play as a key source of global freshwater and calls for immediate measures to avoid the glaciers’ disappearance.
Help us spread the message!
FAO leads the efforts for . Discover all the materials they have prepared and use them freely to help amplify the message about the need to care for our mountains and their glaciers.
Did you know?
- Nearly 2 billion people—including many Indigenous Peoples—depend on water from mountains for their essential daily needs, livelihoods and cultural practices.
- Five of the past six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record. Some 600 glaciers have already disappeared and many more will vanish if temperatures continue to rise.
- Today over 15 million people globally are highly vulnerable to flooding from glacier lakes.
