According to the UN Environment Program, glaciers are shrinking at record rates and there is the risk that many could disappear within the next few decades.

Researchers have been measuring glaciers around the world for the past few years and discovered that ice loss from the glaciers reached record levels in 2006. There are big concerns over some of the ice loss, particularly around India whose rivers are fed by Himalayan glaciers and would be severely affected if the glaciers disappeared. The west coast of North America also receives much of it’s water from mountain glaciers in ranges such as the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.

On average, glaciers shrank by 4.9 feet in 2006 (2007 data has not yet been publicly released). The glacier which shrunk the most was Norway’s Breidalbikkbrea glacier which lost 10.2 feet in 2006. Just the one glacier – Echaurren Norte in Chile – actually grew thicker over the time period.

The UNEP have said that during the 80s and 90s, glaciers lost around a foot of ice each year. This compares to an average loss of around 20 inches per year since the turn of the century. The results point to a disturbing trend, and one which appears to be gathering momentum. The UNEP have urged governments around the world to look at stricter targets for emission reductions to help stop climate change and help stop the loss of the glaciers.

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