World will lose 10% of glacier ice even if it hits climate targets

(The Guardian, 29 Apr 2021) Exclusive: loss is equivalent to more than 13,200 cubic kilometres of water or 10m Wembley Stadiums.

A tenth of the world’s mountain glacier ice will have melted by the middle of this century even if humanity meets the goals of the Paris climate agreement, according to figures compiled exclusively for the Guardian.

The loss is equivalent to more than 13,200 cubic kilometres of water – enough to fill Lake Superior, or more than 10m Wembley Stadiums – with knock-on effects on highly populated river deltas, wildlife habitats and sea levels.

In some particularly hard-hit areas, including central Europe, North America and low latitudes, glacier mass is expected to decline by more than half.

Scientists said the overwhelming bulk of this melt-off, which does not include Greenland or Antarctica, is unavoidable because it has been locked in by the global heating caused by humans in recent years.

However, they say the actions governments take today – including the recent announcements of more ambitious emissions-cutting goals by the US, the UK and others – can make a big difference to the landscape in the second half of this century.

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The Guardian, 29 Apr 2021: World will lose 10% of glacier ice even if it hits climate targets