Why is it in the news?
- According to the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), Venezuela’s last remaining glacier in the Andes, Humboldt (or La Corona), has shrunk to a size that no longer qualifies it as a glacier.
- This marks Venezuela as the first nation potentially losing all its glaciers.
· Glacier: A glacier is an accumulation of ice and snow that slowly flows over land. · ICCI: Collaborates with governments and organizations to preserve the Earth’s cryosphere, which includes snow and ice on land, ice caps and glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. |
Glacier
A glacier is an accumulation of ice and snow that slowly flows over land.
Causes of Glacier Melting
- Increasing global temperatures contribute significantly to the rapid melting of glaciers.
- Elevated ocean temperatures accelerate ice melt from below.
Impacts of Glacier Melting
- Sea Level Rise: NASA estimates that if all glaciers and ice sheets melted, global sea levels would rise by over 60 meters, causing increased coastal erosion and elevated storm surges.
- Biodiversity Loss: Walruses are losing their habitats, and polar bears are spending more time on land, leading to more conflicts with humans.
- Disasters: There will be an increase in the frequency of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in regions like the Himalayas.
- Other Impacts: Reduced water availability in rivers such as the Ganges and negative effects on economic activities like fishing and navigation.
Steps Taken to Protect Glaciers:
Global Initiatives
- Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
- UNESCO: World Glacier Monitoring Services.
- International Year of Glacier Preservation: Declared for 2025 by the United Nations.
National Efforts in India
- National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem: Part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in 2008.
- Research Station ‘Himansh’: Established in the Chandra basin, Himachal Pradesh, in 2016.