The planet is rolling the dice on climate change – and the odds are looking worse by the year according to new data from the skies.
A satellite study spanning two decades has revealed that glaciers worldwide have lost 273 billion tonnes of ice annually, driving sea levels up by nearly 2cm.
Michael Zemp, glaciologist at the University of Zurich and co-lead of the study, put the numbers into perspective:
The 273 billion tonnes of ice lost annually amounts to what the entire global population consumes in 30 years, assuming three litres per person a day.”
Michael Zemp, Glaciologist
The study, led by 35 research teams from the University of Zurich and the University of Edinburgh, analysed 20 years of satellite data from US, German, and European missions—some not originally designed to monitor glaciers.
The data revealed accelerating ice loss, rising from 231 billion tonnes per year to 314 billion tonnes per year over the past decade, (2012–2023).
Regional losses are stark, with Antarctica down 2% but Central Europe losing a staggering 39% of its glacier mass.
New Zealand, Western Canada and the US have seen losses of 29% and 23% respectively.
“These numbers are staggering,” said co-author Noel Gourmelen from the University of Edinburgh. “They serve as a reminder that things are changing fast in some regions.”
With every centimetre of sea level rise exposing another two million people to annual flooding, the world is playing a dangerous hand.
To avoid going all in on catastrophe, urgent action to reduce emissions and slow ice loss is more critical than ever.
