In Monday's meeting of the United Nations in Geneva, scientists predicted that mountain ranges worldwide risk losing their glaciers by the end of the century. Attributed to global warming, glaciers are currently losing water at twice the rate of only a decade ago, and four times the rate observed a century ago.

This trend of glacial thawing has already been observed in Glacier National Park in Montana. About a century ago, the park hosted 150 glaciers; now there are just 26.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, by 2030 all of the park’s namesake glaciers could be gone. Some of the glaciers have shrunk so much that they have already stopped flowing, drying up valuable water resources to dependent communities.

While no one can predict the exact consequences of melting glaciers, risk factors of flooding, and eventually drought and fires, are all increased.

Initially the melting ice results in overflowing rivers, posing the risk of burst banks and flooding of nearby villages, farmlands, roads and railway lines. However, once there is no more glacial melt the rivers will dry up, affecting local communities and farmlands. Hydropower stations would be forced to close down, and animals, birds and fish that depend on melting water from glaciers will suffer.

Another risk factor exacerbated by glacial melt,is the increase of environmental pollutants in river water. DDT was a widely used pesticide around 50 years ago, but was banned worldwide due to its high toxicity. However, most of this harmful chemical got airborne, fell as snow in cooler climates and was embedded and trapped in layers of glaciers. With the glaciers melting at the high rate they are today, this chemical along with other pollutants, is leaching into the streams and rivers. DDT levels at Glacier National Park have already been found to exceed health thresholds for fish-eating wildlife. Some of these contaminants are causing male fish to develop female organs, and obviously have a negative impact on the health of all those who depend on the water.

Perhaps one of the gravest consequences of glacial melt worldwide, is that it only helps to accelerate global warming. Ice reflects most of the heat from the sun back into space but exposed land absorbs most of the sun’s heat, driving the earth’s temperature higher still.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Environmental Program executive director, Achim Steiner, said the rate of glacier disappearance made it essential that "everyone sits up and takes notice."

"Otherwise, and like the glaciers, our room for maneuver and the opportunity to act may simply melt away," Steiner warned.

    Subscribe via RSS