UN Warns: Say Goodbye to Glaciers

The UN announced today that in 2006 glaciers around the world shrank at a record rate and could all disappear within decades. This data provides fresh evidence that the climate crises is increasing.

In 2006 alone, the average glacier shrank by 4.9 feet, while one in Norway dropped by 10.2 feet.

From 1980 through 1999 the average melting was around a foot per year. Since 2000, that figure has increased to its now alarming rate. “The latest figures are part of what appears to be an accelerating trend with no apparent end in sight,” said Wilfried Haeberli, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service.

Glacier melting is an issue that needs to be addressed now, before its effects are realized. Yet, how will governments react to this news? It remains to be seen if the UN report will spur more nations, including the US, into action. “There are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine. The glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise,” said Achim Steiner, head of UNEP.