Washington, December 11 - The UN is commemorating International Mountain Day today with an urgent call to protect glaciers, which are life sources for ecosystems and communities, as they hold around 70 percent of the world’s freshwater.
Under the theme "Glaciers, Essential Sources of Life Around Our Mountains," the importance of these vast reserves of ice and snow is highlighted amid their accelerated retreat due to rising global temperatures.
Their rapid melting signifies not only an environmental crisis but also a humanitarian one, as it threatens agriculture, clean energy, water security, tourism, and the lives of billions of people.
This increases the risks of floods, glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and greater problems of erosion and sedimentation, endangering populations and vital infrastructure located downstream. This 2025 International Mountain Day emphasizes the fundamental role of these regions, which cover 22 percent of the Earth's surface and are home to 15 percent of the world's population, nearly one billion people.
Moreover, more than half of the world’s population depends on mountains for water, food, and energy supply.
Mountains also play a key role in generating renewable energy, especially hydro, solar, wind, and biogas.
Climate change, soil degradation, and overexploitation of resources endanger mountains, which is why the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 11 as International Mountain Day.
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