DUSHANBE, May 30. /TASS/. More than 600 gigatons of drinking water were lost worldwide in 2023 due to accelerated glacier melting, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said at the plenary session of the first High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation.
"According to experts, 2023 saw the largest annual decline in glacier volume. As a result, 600 gigatons of drinking water were lost, causing the average level of the world's oceans to rise," the Tajik leader said, adding that the rapid melting of glaciers has recently become a global crisis and that they have been shrinking rapidly over the past decades. "This alarming process is unprecedented in human history," he said.
Rahmon specified that about a third of the world's mountain glaciers have disappeared due to climate change. Additionally, the rapid melting of polar glaciers is causing flooding in coastal countries and cities, reducing land areas in some countries, and prompting population migration. The head of state noted that glaciers and permafrost play a crucial role in ocean current circulation and act as natural regulators of the planet's climate. He pointed out that experts warn economic losses will increase if greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere continue to rise. If the average air temperature reaches 2 degrees Celsius (35.5 degrees Fahrenheit), another third of the world's glaciers could disappear. "It is clear that without urgent and active adaptation efforts in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target set by the Paris Agreement [on climate change], this trend will lead to catastrophic consequences," the president emphasized, calling for measures to prevent further global temperature rise.
In Tajikistan, 93% of the territory is covered by mountains. Currently, 1,300 of the country's 14,000 glaciers, which account for about 60% of Central Asia's water resources, have completely melted.
The first High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation began in Dushanbe on May 29 and will continue until May 31. The conference includes a series of forums and parallel events dedicated to various aspects of glacier conservation. Over 2,500 people from more than 80 countries are attending the conference, including scientists, politicians, and representatives from international organizations, civil society, and other relevant groups. Participants are discussing the socio-economic consequences of glacier melting, transboundary cooperation in conserving biodiversity and cultural and natural heritage, and scientific research and monitoring of glaciers. They are also discussing how to achieve sustainable development through adapting to and mitigating the consequences of glacier melting.