In a year of vanishing ice

The International Year of Glaciers 2025 - From global momentum to mountain realities

By GRID-Arendal

March 19^th, 2026

2025 was a year defined by ice, not as something static and permanent, but as something precious, changing, and under threat. With the United Nations declaring 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, glaciers moved from the margins of climate conversations to the center of global attention. Scientists, policymakers, and communities across the world engaged more deeply on what glacier loss means, not only for mountain landscapes, but for water security, ecosystems, and billions of people downstream.

For GRID-Arendal, the year became an opportunity to do what we do best: translate science into stories that help people understand why these changes matter.

Snow-covered mountains rise above a valley with a small village. Power lines stretch across the foreground. — View of the Causcasus Mountains

Bringing glaciers into the global spotlight

The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation marked a turning point in how the world talks about the glaciers and cryosphere. The UN General Assembly’s declaration, supported by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, established 21 March as the first World Day for Glaciers and called for stronger global cooperation to understand and protect glaciers.

GRID-Arendal contributed to this by supporting partnerships and initiatives throughout the year, working with UN agencies, governments, researchers, and civil society to help communicate the urgency of glacier loss. The goal was to make the science visible, and make it meaningful.

Aerial view of a glacier nestled in rocky mountains with turquoise lakes nearby. The glacier has a smooth, white expanse and textured, icy rivers. — Frostisen is a glacier on the border of the municipalities of Ballangen and Narvik in Nordland county, Norway. It is one of the larger plateau glaciers in Norway. Frostisen covers an area of about 25 square kilometres.

Turning cryosphere science into stories people can connect with

One of the most important challenges in communicating glacier loss is that it can feel distant and abstract. Throughout 2025, GRID-Arendal helped bridge that gap through visual storytelling and accessible science communication.

Among the highlights:
International Year of Glaciers animation
A short film illustrating glacier retreat in iconic landscapes, from the Dolomites to Yosemite, helping audiences visualize how rapidly these frozen environments are changing.

Glaciers on the Edge: Preserving Our Global Heritage
A collaborative publication with UNESCO combining imagery, science, and human stories from glacier regions around the world.

These examples helped translate complex cryosphere science into narratives that resonate beyond scientific communities, bringing glacier stories to classrooms, media outlets, and decision-makers worldwide.

Jagged iceberg towers over frigid water, reflecting its peak. Smaller ice chunks float in the foreground, scattered under a cloudy sky. — Loss of ice in Disco Bay, Greenland

From the mountains to the plains: why glacier loss matters

Glaciers may seem remote, but their impacts travel far beyond mountain peaks. In many regions, mountains function as the planet’s “water towers,” supplying up to 60 percent of the world’s freshwater. Meltwater from glaciers feeds rivers that support agriculture, hydropower, and cities far downstream. But these natural water systems are changing.

A new analysis from UNEP and GRID-Arendal, Mountains in Motion: Global Linkages from Ridge to River, highlights how rapidly melting glaciers and shifting mountain ecosystems are reshaping water security and disaster risk.

Across the Hindu Kush Himalaya for example, these changes are already becoming visible. Expanding glacial lakes are increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), while changing snow and ice patterns are disrupting water supplies that sustain agriculture and hydropower. At the same time, shifts in glacier melt are altering river systems that support hundreds of millions of people downstream.

Scientists warn that many glacier-fed basins may soon reach “peak water”, the point at which glacier melt temporarily increases river flows before entering a long-term decline as ice reserves shrink. For countries such as Nepal, glacier loss is therefore not only an environmental concern. It is an emerging challenge for water resources, food security, and disaster risk management.

@GRID-Arendal & UNEP, illustration is from the Mountains in Motion publication

A growing global response

The urgency surrounding glaciers is also beginning to translate into political global action. At the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), countries adopted a resolution calling for stronger protection of glaciers and the wider cryosphere, particularly in mountain regions where climate impacts are accelerating.

The resolution reflects a growing recognition that glacier loss intersects with multiple global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water security and disaster risk management.

Protecting the cryosphere is increasingly understood as part of addressing the triple planetary crisis.

World map showing mountain ranges, population density, and major rivers, colored by region. Icons indicate climate change impacts like heatwaves, heavy precipitation, and drought. A graph shows global population trends. Text reads — Credit Zöi/GRID-Arendal & UNEP, from the Mountains in Motion publication

Listening to mountain communities

Glaciers are not only scientific indicators of climate change. For many communities, they are sources of freshwater, cultural identity, and livelihood. Throughout the year, GRID-Arendal worked with partners to ensure these perspectives were included in global conversations, from exhibitions and public events to collaborations with researchers and Indigenous community representatives.

By connecting local experiences of glacier change with global science and policy discussions, the stories of glacier regions became more visible and more human.

Group of women smiles outdoors. Bright sunlight illuminates their faces and colorful shawls against a backdrop of blue sky and distant mountains. — Mountain communities are living with the direct impacts of a changing environment.

Looking ahead: the Decade of Cryosphere Action

While the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation helped raise awareness, it also made clear how much work remains. The coming years will require stronger monitoring of glaciers, deeper scientific collaboration, and policies that help communities adapt to changing water systems.

These efforts are now being carried forward through the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034), a global initiative aimed at strengthening research, cooperation, and public awareness about the planet’s frozen regions.
GRID-Arendal will continue contributing by doing what it has done throughout the International Year of Glaciers: turning complex science into stories that inspire, helps understanding and action.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that while communities can adapt and scientists can monitor change, the long-term fate of glaciers ultimately depends on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

World map shows Rio Conventions submissions (Oct 9, 2025). Bar graphs over regions (Andes, East Africa, etc.) display percentages for biodiversity, land degradation, adaptation plans, and contributions. Central Asia has 0% on all.

From ice to impact

Glaciers may be disappearing faster than ever before. But the movement to understand and protect them is growing. Across scientific networks, international policy forums, and mountain communities, a shared message is emerging: What happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains.