What are the actual effects of glaciers melting? – DW – May 30, 2025

The collapse of a glacier in the Swiss Alps this week underscores the impacts of a warming world on the Earth’s ice-packed regions. When the Birch glacier in Switzerland crumbled on Wednesday, it engulfed the picturesque village of Blattern in the country’s southern Wallis region. Glaciers and ice sheets store about 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves, which are crucial for releasing meltwater during summer, sustaining towns and farms downstream. Two billion people globally rely on glacial melt for their daily water needs. However, as the world gets hotter, the glaciers are melting at twice the rate measured just two decades ago, leading to potential risks of flooding, impacting water supply for agriculture and electricity production, and contributing to rising sea levels. Communities worldwide are grappling with the challenges brought about by rapidly melting ice masses.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/what-are-the-real-impacts-of-melting-glaciers/a-72701132?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf