### Glaciers’ Melting Point: New Study Highlights Dire Consequences of Climate Heating

A recent study has unveiled a troubling reality: almost 40% of the planet's existing glaciers are irrevocably set to melt due to the climate-altering emissions from fossil fuels. The research suggests that the situation could deteriorate further, with glacier loss skyrocketing to 75% if global temperatures increase by 2.7 degrees Celsius, a scenario that current trends indicate is likely.

This significant reduction in glacier masses is expected to push sea levels higher, threatening millions of lives and prompting widespread migration. It will also profoundly disrupt the water supply for billions of people who depend on glaciers for agriculture. On a slightly optimistic note, the study indicates that stringent reductions in carbon emissions, aiming to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, could preserve half of the existing glacier ice.

The study's findings, published in the journal Science, are based on analysis using eight different glacier models, whose projections indicate the loss of glaciers well beyond the end of this century. For instance, glaciers in the western United States and Canada are particularly vulnerable, with 75% already on a path to extinction. In contrast, glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges are more durable, though they too will significantly retreat as global temperatures rise.

In terms of regional impact, the study exposed stark differences: 80% of glaciers in southern Arctic Canada are destined to vanish, while in the western Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya region, only 5% face inevitable demise. Under a worst-case scenario with 2.7 degrees Celsius of global warming, many glacier regions, particularly in central Europe, the Russian Arctic, and Iceland, could lose at least 80% of their glaciers, with some areas facing total disappearance.

The study emphasizes that glacier melting will contribute approximately 11 centimeters to sea level rise from those glaciers already doomed. Should global heating reach 2.7 degrees Celsius, glacier melting could account for a further 23 centimeters in sea level rise. However, adhering to a 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit could curtail this figure to 14 centimeters.

The research also emphasizes the long-term, multi-generational impact of current climate actions, with Dr. Harry Zekollari of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel stressing, "The choices we make today will resonate for centuries, determining how much of our glaciers can be preserved." His co-author, Dr. Lilian Schuster from the University of Innsbruck, added, "Every fraction of a degree of global warming matters, potentially lessening the human suffering caused by glacier loss."

Highlighting the interconnectedness of the crisis, Zekollari pointed out that emissions from everyday activities in one part of the world contribute to glacier melt thousands of kilometers away, leading to global consequences such as rising seas and increased coastal protection costs. This underscores the global nature of the challenge faced.

These findings come just as the UN's High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation is set to commence in Tajikistan, marking an initiative under the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. The study serves as a pressing call for global action to mitigate climate change and preserve the world’s glaciers.