51³Ô¹Ï

Glacier in a mountain with the UN Water logo and the plea ¡§Save our glaciers¡§
Photo:UN Water

Glacier preservation

Glaciers are melting faster than ever.

As the planet gets hotter, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable.

For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise.

Countless communities and ecosystems are at risk of devastation.

As we work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change, glacier preservation is a top priority.

We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down glacial retreat.

And, we must manage meltwater more sustainably.

Saving our glaciers is a survival strategy for people and the planet.

 

Protecting frozen water resources for the future

The theme of World Water Day 2025 is ¡®Glacier Preservation¡¯.

Glaciers are critical to life ¨C their meltwater is essential for drinking water, agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy ecosystems.

Rapidly melting glaciers are causing uncertainty to water flows, with profound impacts on people and the planet.

Global reductions in carbon emissions and local strategies to adapt to shrinking glaciers are essential.

This World Water Day, we must work together to put glacier preservation at the core of our plans to tackle climate change and the global water crisis.

Symbol of play with the sentence Save the glaciers and a glacier in the background

Play your part! (coming soon)

Be part of the global campaign on ¡®Glacier Preservation¡¯. We need everyone ¨C from individuals and families to companies and governments ¨C to do what they can to reduce global warming and adapt to shrinking glaciers.

 

Key messages for World Water Day 2025

  • Glaciers are melting faster than ever. As the planet gets hotter due to climate change, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable and extreme.
  • Glacial retreat threatens devastation. For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise, and damaging ecosystems.
  • Glacier preservation is a survival strategy. We must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage meltwater more sustainably for people and the planet. .

Did you know?

  • In 2023, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of water, the largest mass loss registered in 50 years. ()
  • About 70% of Earth¡¯s freshwater exists as snow or ice. ()
  • Nearly 2 billion people rely on water from glaciers, snowmelt and mountain run-off for drinking, agriculture, and energy production. ()
  • Increased glacier melting contributes significantly to global sea-level rise, with today¡¯s sea level about 20 cm higher than in 1900. ()
  • Limiting global warming to 1.5¡ãC could save glaciers in two-thirds of World Heritage sites. ()

Previous World Water Day themes

Explore the going back to 1994, covering an array of themes, from water and cities, health, culture, livelihoods, food, energy, disasters and much more.

UN-Water¡¯s flagship report on water and sanitation is launched every year on World Water Day, exploring the same theme as World Water Day, and giving policy recommendations to decision-makers by offering best practices and in-depth analyses. The 2025 edition will be called ¡®Water Towers: Mountains and glaciers¡¯.

The UN has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers¡¯ Preservation, with the first World Day for Glaciers to be held on 21 March, to raise global awareness of the critical connections between the cryosphere, climate change, the water cycle, the economy, environment and society.

The term ¡®cryosphere¡¯ originates from the Greek word ¡®kryos¡¯ for frost or ice cold. The state of the Earth¡¯s ice and snow affects every living being. The UN proclaimed the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025¨C2034 to advance scientific research of the cryosphere as critical to understanding our climate and water cycle.