Climate change causes glaciers to lose their largest mass in half a century

Climate change caused by human activity, together with hydrological alterations linked to the transition from El Niño to La Niña phenomena, caused glaciers to suffer their largest mass loss in half a century in 2023, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Monday. Between September 2022 and August 2023, glaciers lost 600 million tonnes of water, especially those located in western North America and the European Alps, where glaciers in Switzerland have reduced their ice volume by 10% in just two years, according to a new report from the UN meteorological agency. “Melting ice and glacier retreat threaten the long-term security of millions of people,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned at the presentation of the study, which focuses on the state of the world’s water resources.

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