World Heritage Glaciers in Danger: UNESCO

• A recent UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) study discovered that a third of the glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage list are under threat, despite efforts to limit temperature increases.
• A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and water that forms on land and moves down slope under the influence of gravity and its own weight. They are sensitive indicators of climate change.

What does the findings highlight?

Glaciers are under threat:

• Glaciers can be found in 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites, accounting for nearly 10% of the Earth's total glacierized area.
• They include the highest (next to Mt. Everest), longest (in Alaska), and Africa's last remaining glaciers.
• Because of CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures, these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000.
• They currently lose 58 billion tonnes of ice per year, which is equivalent to France and Spain's combined annual water use, and are responsible for nearly 5% of observed global sea-level rise.
• Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania are all threatened by glaciers.
• Africa: All World Heritage sites in Africa, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya, will most likely be gone by 2050.
• Asia: Glaciers in Three Parallel Rivers Protected Areas of Yunnan (China) - highest mass loss relative to 2000 (57.2%) and fastest melting glacier on the List.
• Europe: Glaciers in the Pyrenees Mont Perdu (France, Spain) are expected to vanish by 2050.

The Importance of Glaciers:

• Glaciers provide water to half of humanity, either directly or indirectly, for domestic use, agriculture, and power.
• Glaciers are also biodiversity pillars, feeding many ecosystems.
• When glaciers melt quickly, millions of people face water scarcity and an increased risk of natural disasters like flooding, and millions more may be displaced as sea levels rise.

Suggestions:

• The remaining two-thirds can still be saved if global temperature rises do not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• In addition to drastically reducing carbon emissions, a new international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation is required.
• A fund of this type would fund comprehensive research, foster exchange networks among all stakeholders, and implement early warning and disaster risk reduction measures.
• There is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in nature-based solutions to help mitigate climate change and better adapt to its effects.

What are the World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO?

• A World Heritage Site is a location designated by UNESCO for its exceptional cultural or physical significance.
• The international 'World Heritage Programme,' administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, maintains the list of World Heritage Sites.
• This is embodied in the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

Sites:

• UNESCO lists approximately 1,100 sites across its 167 member countries.
• The United Kingdom's 'Liverpool — Maritime Mercantile City' was removed from the World Heritage List in 2021 due to "the irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property."
• After concerns about poaching and habitat degradation, the UNESCO panel delisted the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman in 2007, and the Elbe Valley in Dresden, Germany, in 2009, following the construction of the Waldschloesschen road bridge across the Elbe River.
• Sites in India: There are 3691 monuments and sites in India. UNESCO has designated 40 of these sites as World Heritage Sites.
• Among these are the Taj Mahal, Ajanta and Ellora Caves. Natural sites such as Assam's Kaziranga National Park are also listed as World Heritage Sites.