As COP30 opens today, University of Birmingham scientists are contributing to a landmark UNESCO report revealing the accelerating loss of the world’s glaciers.
As the COP30 Climate Summit opens today (10 November 2025), University of Birmingham scientists are contributing to a landmark UNESCO report revealing the accelerating loss of the world’s glaciers - and calling for urgent, coordinated global action to protect vulnerable communities.
The UK National Commission for UNESCO has launched Glaciers and Ice Sheets in a Warming World: Impacts and Outcomes to coincide with both the start of COP30 and the 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. The report warns that glaciers worldwide have lost more than 6,500 billion tonnes of ice since 2000, an acceleration of 36 per cent over the past decade. This meltwater is now responsible for around one-third of global sea-level rise, posing increasing risks to water security for more than a billion people.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham contributed to the international study, which brings together experts from across the UK and beyond to assess the far-reaching impacts of glacier and ice-sheet loss - from rising seas and floods to shifting water supplies in major river systems such as the Ganges and Amazon.
“Glaciers are one of the most visible indicators of climate change. Their retreat is reshaping landscapes and threatening the livelihoods of communities who depend on glacier-fed rivers for water, food, and energy. Through collaborative science, we can better understand these changes and help societies adapt to a rapidly warming world.”
The report calls for urgent global cooperation to both cut greenhouse-gas emissions and invest in adaptation, highlighting the need for early-warning systems, flood preparedness, and water-resource modelling in glacier-dependent regions. It also warns that gaps in satellite monitoring could leave scientists “blind” to the full scale of cryospheric change unless sustained investment is secured.
This report shows the critical importance of evidence-led policy and collaboration. The University of Birmingham’s research is helping shape global understanding of the cryosphere and its connection to water security and climate resilience of downstream communities and ecosystems. Launching this report on the opening day of COP30 reinforces the message that climate action cannot wait.
Edited by Professor David J. Drewry (UK National Commission for UNESCO), Glaciers and Ice Sheets in a Warming World: Impacts and Outcomes brings together contributions from leading UK institutions, including the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield.
Glaciers and Ice Sheets in a Warming World: Impacts and Outcomes (UK National Commission for UNESCO, 2025) is available open access under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 at www.unesco.org.uk
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Nazim uses environmental tracers and field techniques to study how climate change impacts mountain water resources.
Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability)
Professor David Hannah studies hydroclimatology in cold regions, focusing on river dynamics, climate interactions, and ecohydrology.
