Between September 2022 and August 2023, glaciers lost 600 million tons of water, especially those in western North America and the European Alps, where glaciers in Switzerland have reduced their ice volume by 10% in just two years, according to a new report by the UN meteorological agency.
“The melting and retreat of glaciers threatens the long-term security of millions of people,” warned the Secretary General of the WMO, Argentinean Celeste Saulo, in the presentation of the study, which focuses on the situation of the world’s water resources.
The report also indicates that last year, previously confirmed as the warmest on record, was also the driest for the planet’s rivers in 33 years.
Last year, 50% of river basins showed anomalous conditions, mostly with lower than usual flow, as occurred in large rivers such as the Mississippi and the Amazon in America or the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Mekong in Asia.
However, flows were higher than the average of previous years in island nations such as New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, as well as in areas of Nordic Europe such as Finland and southern Sweden.
Erratic weather patterns
Libya suffered severe flooding last year that caused more than 11,000 deaths and there were also floods in the Horn of Africa and areas of central and southern Africa, southern Asia, Central America, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil suffered droughts in Argentina case reduced its GDP by 3%.
The Secretary-General stressed that rising atmospheric temperatures cause more humidity to accumulate in the atmosphere, which generally leads to more torrential rains, although at the same time, water evaporates more quickly, aggravating droughts.
“As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated, becoming more erratic and unpredictable, which increases the problems arising from excesses or deficits of water,” said Saulo.
According to the WMO report, the past five years have generally seen below-average flows in global rivers, reducing the water available for consumption, agriculture, and ecosystems.
The year 2023 was also the second consecutive year in which all regions of the planet suffered mass loss in their glaciers.
Water as a climate change indicator
The head of the WMO, the increasing anomalies in the global hydrological system constitute one of the main warnings of the serious consequences of global warming.
“Water is the canary in the mine of climate change, sending out warning signals in the form of ever-increasing storms, floods, and droughts, causing massive losses of life, ecosystems, and economies,” he warned.
The Argentine scientist called for improved measurements of global rainfall and the situation of water resources in rivers, lakes, and other freshwater bodies, since despite reports such as those prepared by the WMO, information on the subject is still limited and, in her opinion, “you cannot manage what you cannot quantify.”
According to the United Nations, 3.6 billion people on the planet, approximately 45% of the total, have problems accessing water at least one month a year, a figure that could increase to 5 billion by mid-century.
