Interactive map predicts half of Earth's glaciers could vanish by 2100 under 1.5°C warming
Scientists unveiled an online map that shows when each glacier may disappear, warning that about 50% could be gone by the end of the century if warming stays at 1.5°C.
A team of scientists at ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel launched the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer, an interactive platform that maps projected disappearance dates for every known glacier worldwide. Users can select warming pathways of 1.5°C, 2°C, 2.7°C or 4°C and see color-coded outcomes, from dark red for already extinct to light blue for likely survivors to 2100. The 2024 projections suggest a 1.5°C increase could cause the loss of about 2,000 glaciers annually, cutting the global glacier count in half by the century’s end; a 2.7°C rise would leave only 20% and a 4°C rise just 10% remaining.
Recent extinctions of Switzerland’s Bella Tola and Urirotstock glaciers align with these forecasts, illustrating that each fraction of a degree matters. While the study does not assess downstream impacts, separate research warns that melting of non-ice-sheet glaciers could raise sea levels by more than 12 inches. The map aims to make abstract climate data tangible for local communities.
Why it matters
It reveals how near-term warming could erase half of global glaciers, threatening water supplies and raising sea levels.
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