Glaciers Matter: Reflections for International Mountain Day 2025

11 December marks International Mountain Day, a global observance dedicated to raising awareness of the vital role mountains play in sustaining life on Earth.

International Mountain Day 2025 highlights the importance of glaciers' preservation through its theme:“Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”. On this occasion, GLOMOS joins the global community in highlighting the vital role of mountains and glaciers in sustaining life on Earth. This year’s observance is a timely moment to reflect on the insights shared by Dr. Dipesh Chapagain in a recently published interview conducted with the United Nations University Intitute for Environment and Human Security, on why glaciers matter now more than ever.

As Dipesh explains, glaciers are far more than just ice on mountains. They act as natural water reservoirs, regulating river flows that support drinking water, agriculture, hydropower, and ecosystems for millions of people, often far beyond mountain regions. Their gradual melt sustains livelihoods during dry seasons, making them critical to water and food security.

However, glaciers are increasingly disappearing due to climate change. Rising temperatures in mountain regions are accelerating glacier retreat, increasing risks such as glacial lake outburst floods while threatening long-term water availability. These changes stress on the importance to look at glacier loss as not only a mountain issue, but a global challenge with negative impacts perceived both in the lowlands as much as in the highlands.

This alrticle, however, also highlights reasons for hope, fostered through growing awareness, improved risk monitoring, and stronger collaboration between scientists, communities, and policymakers. These efforts align closely with GLOMOS’s mission to support evidence-based action that strengthens resilience in mountain regions and downstream areas alike.

Read the full article here: In Conversation with Dipesh Chapagain About Why Glaciers Matter Now More Than Ever