The world must begin to prepare to protect the ecosystems that emerge from the disappearing ice, in the face of the inevitable melting of glaciers caused by global warming, warns a scientific study released Thursday.
If nothing is done to stop global warming, the world could lose glaciers a total of the size of Finland by the year 2100.
In the best of cases, if the objectives of the Paris Agreement to prevent climate change are met, ice masses the size of Nepal are expected to decrease, says a study published in the scientific journal Nature.
The analysis by Swiss and French scientists raises concerns about melting glaciers and reinforces the growing call to step up efforts to protect the planet from climate change.
In the research, the scientists point out that humans have evolved to coexist with glaciers for millennia, and the worrisome retreat of the ice sheet -which currently equals 10% of the planet’s land surface- will require actions to slow it down and adapt accordingly. as far as possible. to its impact.
These ice masses play a fundamental role on the planet, as they reflect sunlight or provide fresh water for agriculture, energy generation and consumption, says study co-author Jean-Baptiste Bosson, a Franco-Swiss expert on glaciers. of the National Council for the Protection of Nature. in Annecy, France.
Bosson stressed that efforts are being made to stop the retreat of the glaciers, although it is not decisive to save them.
“But after the glaciers [derreterem] Not everything is lost. We especially need to protect the nature that will emerge next, the forests of tomorrow, the great lakes of tomorrow, the great fjords of tomorrow,” he noted.
This scientist maintains that there is a possibility for ecosystems to recover if they have their “space and time.”
“[A natureza] it will find solutions: it will capture carbon, it will purify fresh water, it will create habitats for biodiversity”, he stressed.
The team behind the Nature study analyzed around 210,000 glaciers on Earth, not including the massive Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and found that they covered around 665,000 square kilometres, about the size of Afghanistan, in 2020.
Depending on different scenarios, which experts rank from worst to best, the world could lose between 149,000 square kilometers and 339,000 square kilometers by the year 2100.
For Professor Ben Marzeion, from the Institute of Geography at the University of Bremen, in Germany, who was not involved in the research, this study “shows that there are more things” for which humanity must be prepared.
“It also shows that we are still in the process of discovering the multitude of impacts that climate change will have,” Marzeion added.
Source: TSF
