Latest news with #WorldWaterDevelopmentReport
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New UN report warns of dire threat that could impact billions: 'Disappearing at an alarming rate'
A new report from the United Nations warns that the rapid melting of mountain glaciers is endangering billions of people and ecosystems everywhere reliant on these massive freshwater sources. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recently released this year's World Water Development Report, per Pakistani online outlet Dawn, this time with a special focus on mountains and glaciers. The report underscores that alpine glaciers — those formed high up in mountainous regions — are under serious threat due to human activity, pollution, and rising global temperatures, with serious implications for not only our environment broadly but also daily life in communities worldwide. Prominent glaciers — such as those on Mount Kenya, in the Rwenzori mountains, and on Mount Kilimanjaro — may vanish by the year 2040, per Dawn, if no action is taken to address the crisis. The report from UNESCO noted that alpine glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region are "disappearing at an alarming rate ... faster than the global average." As Arctic ice melts, the environment itself is affected by floods, habitat loss, and more. Human life is also threatened — and in multiple ways — as this critical water supply is compromised. The Carbon Brief explained that "up to 60% of the world's freshwater originates in mountain regions." An estimated 2 billion people and "countless ecosystems," per UNESCO, depend on glacial melt and a consistent cycle of runoff for drinking water and agriculture, so accelerated melting suggests worsening water scarcity. Higher sea levels are also a big concern. When huge quantities of ice melt, oceans rise, resulting in floods. Coastal communities are especially vulnerable to the risk of losing homes and livelihoods. Food systems are also set to be impacted by this alpine glacial melt. According to this new World Water Development Report, "Globally, up to two-thirds of irrigated agriculture may depend on mountain waters." Disruption to this water supply can lead to droughts and crop failures, while extreme flooding can jeopardize growing seasons and supply chains, causing product shortages and higher prices all around. UNESCO emphasized the need for knowledge building and capacity strengthening, including the "need for expansion of the observational infrastructure in high mountain areas, and also, importantly, for data to be open access." To improve global monitoring, local decision-making, and coordination across countries, the report underscores the importance of engaging women and Indigenous communities — some of the groups most impacted by water scarcity, floods, and ensuing crises and too long marginalized in these conversations. International communications are also needed. The significance of not only governmental but also private sector funding is highlighted. Cross-sector partnerships have the potential to support communities around the world as they prepare for sea-level rise, leveraging options such as sea walls, relocation, and more. Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home? Yes — often Yes — but only sometimes Only when it's bad outside No — I never do Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. No matter where you are located, you can help fight water scarcity and extreme floods. By switching to solar power or an electric vehicle to reduce heat-trapping pollution, conserving water, and advocating for policies that prioritize climate action, everyone can play a meaningful role in combating glacial melt and rising global temperatures. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The National
25-03-2025
- Climate
- The National
Chart of the week: The future of glaciers
World Water Day has been marked annually on March 22 since 1993. It is an annual UN observance focusing on freshwater, primarily to support the sixth Sustainable Development Goal: Water and sanitation for all by 2030. Every year, the UN releases the World Water Development Report, and for more than 10 years, the report has covered different thematics. This year's report is on mountains and glaciers. According to the UN's current report, mountains and glaciers supply half the annual freshwater flows - around 55 to 60 per cent - and two-thirds of irrigated agriculture may depend on mountain waters. Additionally, mountains and highlands reduce the risk of erosion and landslides, cool local temperatures and produce high-value products such as medicinal plants. However, due to climate change and rapidly rising global temperatures, many of these benefits are at risk. According to the World Glacier Monitoring Service, the world has been losing tonnes of ice mass. Nearly 80 per cent of the greatest losses - "negative mass balances" - have been recorded since 2010. In 2024, the world lost more than 1.2 tonnes per square metre of ice, the highest amount in the past three decades. Since 1950, it has accumulated a mass balance of minus 27.4 tonnes per square metre or the loss of more than 30 metres of glacier-wide ice thickness. The regions more affected are Central Europe and the Southern Andes. Melting glaciers are also responsible for rising tides. By 2023, two-thirds of sea level rises were due to melting glaciers. According to the European Space Agency, between 2000 and 2023, ice loss contributed 18mm to global sea levels. Although the mountains of the Arab region are often overlooked, these areas have an essential role in providing water, in the form of snowmelt, for agriculture, particularly in sustaining crops during the summer when rainfall is limited. It is also responsible for communities and centres of economic activity in tourism and industry. Mount Lebanon (extending nearly the entire length of Lebanon) and the High Atlas Mountains (stretching through Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia) are the main providers of water in the region. Snowfall accumulates in several mountains over winter. As the weather warms up during the spring, the melting snow feeds into streams, reservoirs and aquifers at lower elevations. Nonetheless, due to climate change, seasonal snowfall and overall precipitation are expected to decrease, affecting snow cover duration, depth, and the availability of freshwater resources. These expected reductions together with projected population growth will lead the Arab region to struggle with water-related issues such as sanitation and hygiene and fall below the absolute water scarcity threshold by 2050. For this reason, scientists in the UAE are working to develop more effective desalination and water treatment in the Gulf. Nidal Hilal, a professor of engineering and the director of NYU Abu Dhabi Water Research Centre, works on membrane technology and nanotechnology for water purification. At the Water Research Centre, teams work to improve membrane design to reduce energy and carbon emissions when treating water and heavy metal removal from wastewater, a relevant issue in water-scarce regions. Also, the team has manufactured the first UAE-made membrane for reverse osmosis, focused on water properties in the Arabian Gulf. Considering 70 per cent of water usage goes to agriculture, they use membrane technology to reclaim wastewater for this sector.
