The retreat of glaciers has significant impacts on the water cycle and water supply. As glaciers shrink, water availability downstream is reduced. This not only affects freshwater supply for drinking and agriculture, but also disrupts ecosystems and biodiversity. In this event, the high-risk area of cryosphere melting and glacier retreat will be discussed as well as the impacts and the IAEA's efforts to address this issue. The discussion will also explore implementation actions aiming to pave the way for the international conference dedicated to glacier preservation that will take place in Tajikistan in 2025, the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation.
Speakers
Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chairman of the Committee on Environment Protection, Tajikistan
Johannes Cullmann, UN Water Vice-Chair
Irina Gorodetskaya, Senior Researcher, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto (CIIMAR)
Yolanda López-Maldonado, Indigenous Maya Community Hydrologist and Hydrogeologist
Adrian Lema, Director of the National Centre for Climate Research, Denmark
Martin Krause, Director of the Division of Programme Support and Coordination, IAEA
Moderator
Yuliya Vystavna, Senior Water Programme Officer, IAEA
