The UN declared 2025 the International Year of Glacier Preservation on the initiative of Tajikistan.
This is a major step in the fight against climate change, as glaciers around the world continue to melt rapidly, threatening water resources, ecosystems and the lives of millions of people. Over the past 20 years, the glaciers of the Western Tien Shan in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have shrunk by 27%, and this process continues. In other parts of the world, the situation is even more alarming: Antarctica is losing 150 billion tons of ice mass annually, and Greenland 270 billion tons, which is accelerating global sea level rise. According to UNESCO, by 2050, glaciers could disappear from the territory of a third of World Heritage sites, including the largest ice massifs in Alaska, the glaciers of Everest and the last glaciers in Africa. They are already losing 58 billion tons of ice per year, which is comparable to the annual water needs of countries such as France and Spain.
Why is this important?
Glaciers are a vital source of water for nearly two billion people. They provide water supply, agriculture, hydropower and tourism. Their disappearance will lead to water shortages, destruction of ecosystems and an increase in climate disasters. As part of the International Year, Tajikistan will host a global conference dedicated to the problem of melting glaciers. For this country, the issue is especially relevant: out of 14,000 glaciers, more than 1,000 have already disappeared. At the same time, Tajikistan's glaciers form up to 60% of Central Asia's water resources, and their melting threatens the entire region. The International Year of Glacier Conservation is a chance to draw attention to one of the most pressing problems of our time and mobilize efforts to protect these unique natural water reservoirs.
