Help “Stop the Melt” with our new 13-Factsheet Guide! Let’s slow down sea level rise & preserve our freshwater ice banks

by CWR 21 March, 2025

Hong Kong, 21st March 2025 – Happy World Glacier Day! In the spirit of glacier preservation, CWR has launched a “13-Factsheet Guide to Stop the Melt” to slow down sea level rise and preserve freshwater ice banks. （中文版按此）

Global warming of 1.3°C today means that our cryosphere is in dire straits. Mountain glaciers are vanishing fast and ice sheets, permafrost & sea ice in the Arctic & Antarctica are also seeing rapid losses.

Over 14 trillion tonnes of ice have been lost in the last 30 years – this means we’ve on average lost over 50 million tonnes of ice every hour for the last 30 years from our mountains & polar regions!

“Such massive losses have dire consequences, especially in Asia, yet what’s happening in our cryosphere remains out of sight & out of mind” said Debra Tan, the Head of CWR.

“So together with our partners, we have curated factsheets to help inform multiple stakeholders from business & finance to policymakers on the critical importance of protecting our cryosphere. We hope these will inspire rapid decarbonisation to Stop the Melt to slow down rising seas and preserve our freshwater ice banks” said Debra Tan, Director & Head of CWR and lead author of the factsheets.

This factsheet guide produced in collaboration with:

See the Joint Press Release from CWR and it’s collaboration partners the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), the Chinese National Committee for International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (CNC-IACS), the Institute of Geographic Sciences & Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR-CAS) & the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

To explore the 13-Factsheet Guide to “Stop the Melt”, start with the Stop the Melt Factsheet – it is linked to the others!  Or access them individually below.

Stop the Melt

  • At least 14 trillion tonnes of ice lost in last 30 years!
  • Know what will kill us! Even 2°C will accelerate losses = speed up sea level rise & impact future river flows
  • Join us to stop the melt with deep & rapid emission cuts!
Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI: “We really need to dial back emissions this decade, before 2030. If we do not, then keeping CO2 levels and temperatures close to 1.5°C becomes essentially impossible. We hope the factsheets help stakeholders understand that 2°C is too hot for ice and that overshoot to 2°C will result in huge economic impacts from extensive ice loss; even at 1.5°C, ice is in the danger zone.” 

 

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD: “We saw record-low snowfall in 2023 & 2024 which proved challenging, highlighting regional water security issues. Devastating glacier lake outburst floods caused by accelerated glacier melt have also taken out mountain villages from Everest to Sikkim. The situation is serious; if emissions continue, we could lose up to 80% of HKH glaciers by 2100, but we could face peak water for HKH rivers sooner, by 2050. Even 1.5°C is too high for the HKH, we must act to decarbonise fast if we are to preserve our precious glaciers.” 

 Debra Tan, Director & Head of CWR: “The International Year of Glacier Preservation provides an opportunity for Asia to act. We can & must – we can because with over 50% of global greenhouse gas emission Asia can deliver deep decarbonisation this decade; and we must because Asia is the region most vulnerable to ice losses. We’re still developing, and this puts Asia in a unique position to leapfrog ahead on transition as well as step up adaptation action to match escalating risks” 

 

Professor Shichang Kang, Chair of CNC-IACS: “The time window for protecting glaciers is narrowing. We must work together to cut carbon and reduce emissions. We must act now.”  

Professor Shaofeng Jia, IGSNRR-CAS: “Changes in our cryosphere impact water resources and knowledge of this must be shared across multiple disciplines so that integrated & innovative action can be realised. We must focus to this pressing challenge and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.” 

Today, with our planetary ecosystems at risk, we stand at a crossroad. What we do in the next few years on transition & adaptation will decide our futures. The precarious state of our cryosphere brings a torrent of “hidden” risks we must attend to. It’s daunting but we must start somewhere. As Tan summarises, “Tackling complex challenges start with conversations and we need to start one on ice now – so download the Guide to Stop the Melt and let’s get talking!”

Stop the Melt

  • At least 14 trillion tonnes of ice lost in last 30 years!
  • Know what will kill us! Even 2°C will accelerate losses = speed up sea level rise & impact future river flows
  • Join us to stop the melt with deep & rapid emission cuts!
Choose Wisely

  • Adapting for wrong levels put people, cities & economies at risk…so know the latest & choose wisely!
  • At-a-glance SLR stats + the latest science which points to accelerating & rapid SLR
  • Better be safe than sorry! Current high emissions mean 1m of SLR by 2070 is possible!
 Stay Below Tipping Points

  • Rising seas once triggered are irreversible so don’t overshoot 1.5°C, let alone 2°C; we’re at 1.3°C today!
  • See tipping points for mountains glaciers, Antarctic & Greenland Ice Sheets + see how much SLR they hold
  • Reality check! SLR projections ranges vs. what’s happened before
Antarctica | Doom Unleashed 

  • Antarctica alone holds >50m of SLR – see which parts of this is vulnerable & how much SLR can be unleashed
  • It is getting crazy hot there! At-a-glance implications of rapid ocean warming + widespread ice sheet melt
  • Don’t be blindsided, get on top of vicious cycles from massive losses of sea ice + ocean warming
 Greenland Ice | Going, Gone

  • Greenland is in the “risk zone” – it is now the single largest contributor to SLR!
  • Heatwaves + rain + cracks = extreme ice melt
  • Get on top of Greenland tipping points & stats; Greenland Ice Sheet losses today already track IPCC AR6’s worst-case projections!
Alarming Losses in Sea Ice

  • Extensive sea ice losses in the Arctic & Antarctica = regime shift to new sea ice states
  • Multiple functions of sea ice are on the brink of collapse; it keeps our Earth cool, drive ocean currents + more
  • Sea ice also supports wildlife, food-web and so on; sea ice losses can trigger ecosystems collapse
 Record Ocean Heating

  • At-a-glance historical update on ocean heating & perspectives on the recent paradigm shift
  • Ocean heating = thermal expansion + rapid ice sheet losses Greenland & Antarctica = accelerating SLR
  • See how ocean circulations will be affected; collapse may be sooner than we think if high emissions continue
Adieu! Mountain Ice & Snow

  • Say goodbye to some glaciers now! Some will vanish even at 1.5°C … so farewell, ski resorts!
  • See how less ice & snow can cause seasonal freshwater shortages + impact river flow
  • Don’t forget! Mountain glacier losses also contribute to SLR – see how much is locked-in
 Rivers Running Dry

  • Rivers are our lifelines, we should protect them from mountains-to-oceans to ensure they don’t run dry!
  • Snow & ice are key components of river flow; at-a-glance implications for water, food, energy & economic security
  • At-a-glance waternomic stats of Asia’s key river basins: % of national GDP, people & power generation
Himalayan Ice’s Swan Song

  • At-a-glance stats on Asia’s “ice bank” & water reserves
  • It’s hot up there! See how hot at 3,000m+ and how this causes monsoon patterns shifts, GLOFs, cloudbursts ++
  • See why even 1.5°C is too hot for the Himalayas with at-a-glance stats of future glacier losses + peak water for rivers on our current emission path
 @ $ # ! We Forgot Permafrost 

  • We didn’t expect permafrost thaw to be so abrupt & so deep! See what’s speeding up the thaw
  • At-a-glance permafrost thaw emissions at 1.5, 2 & 4°C; the numbers are shocking = blows our carbon budget!
  • At-a-glance permafrost thaw impacts on the Arctic water cycle & infrastructure + methane & viruses are set free
Current Path = Climate Hell

  • At-a-glance current emissions, current policies & NDC scenarios + how much SLR these will lock-in
  • Actual CO2 levels & how far we are from meeting the NDCs targets + how much emission cuts are still needed
  • At-a-glance impacts of 1m of SLR to island nations, big cities, global airports & key oil ports
 Deliver Deep Cuts ASAP

  • G20 cumulative GHG emissions + implementation gaps
  • It’s not fair! 2023 GHG emissions by regions: BRICS vs. the “West”, ASEAN, Japan + S. Korea, vs. African Union
  • Need deep fossil fuel cuts for 1.5°C! Coal vs. oil cuts; fossil fuel subsidies & expansion vs. clean energy; individual action & habit changes, AI + more

 

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