Mountains and Glaciers: Water towers
UN World Water Development Report
Mountain waters are essential to humans and ecosystems
The 2025 edition of the #UnitedNations World Water Development Report highlights the importance of #mountain waters, including alpine #glaciers, which are vital for meeting basic human needs such as water supply and sanitation. They are also essential to ensuring #food and #energy security to billions of people living in and around mountain regions and areas downstream. They also support economic growth through various water-reliant industries. As the ‘water towers’ of the world, mountains are an essential source of fresh #water. They store water in the form of #ice and #snow during cold seasons, releasing it during warmer seasons as a major source of fresh water for users downstream. Mountains play a unique and critical role in the global #WaterCycle, and they affect atmospheric circulation, which drives #weather and #precipitation patterns.
https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/en/2025
#Environment
#ClimateCrisis
#Cryosphere