Save Twice the Ice by Limiting Global Warming

Key Findings

• A study by ETH Zurich published in Science highlights the impact of global warming on non-polar glacier mass.
• If global warming is kept to 1.5°C, 54% of glacier mass could be preserved, more than twice as much as in a 2.7°C warming scenario.

Glacier Mass Loss

• Even at 1.2°C (current level), 39% of glacier mass loss is expected compared to 2020, likely contributing over 10 cm to sea-level rise.
• The study used eight glacier models across more than 200,000 glaciers outside Greenland and Antarctica.
• Temperature scenarios predict glacier mass loss continues for centuries, even if temperatures stabilize.

Long-term Impacts

• Projections extend beyond the year 2100, offering insights into long-term glacier evolution.
• Studies limited to 2100 predict a 20% loss, but multi-centennial projections suggest nearly double that.
• Current policies leading to a warming of 2.7°C could result in significant glacier loss.

Climate Change Indicators

• Glaciers serve as indicators of climate change, their retreat showing climate shifts.
• Current glacier size understates the extent of climate change impacts.
• Glacier loss affects freshwater availability, increases flood and landslide risks, and threatens glacier-fed tourism economies.

Importance of Climate Policies

• The study emphasizes the importance of every fraction of a degree in global warming.
• Limiting warming to 1.5°C instead of 2.7°C could save twice the glacier ice.
• Current policies could lead to a 2.7°C increase, risking further glacier loss.

Contributing to Global Efforts

• The study contributes to the UN Year of Glaciers' Preservation and underscores the need for climate action.
• Part of the Glacier Model Intercomparison Project (GlacierMIP) under the World Climate Research Programme.
• Coincides with the High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation.

Related Topics

• Environmental policies, resource shortages, and global warming.
• Climate change mitigation and its impacts on glaciers.

Conclusion

• The study calls for urgent global action in climate policies to protect glaciers.
• The degree of warming has a direct impact on glacier preservation and related environmental and economic factors.