Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0003-4538-1321
Abstract
Global warming is causing irreversible glacier retreat. This phenomenon will have major consequences for the environment and human systems, particularly in terms of water availability, increased natural hazards, slope and valley stability, hydroelectric power generation, tourism, culture, and local lifestyles. Only a drastic and rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could slow this phenomenon, but this reduction is slow in coming. Countries are experimenting with different approaches to mitigate ice melt, including integrated management of glacial and periglacial ecosystems and the local application of technologies. These technologies raise scientific questions about their effectiveness in a warming climate, and policy questions, particularly about their governance and cost. Proactive and sustainable adaptation to glacier retreat therefore remains the only realistic and effective approach to minimize the risks associated with glacier melt. Reports provided by countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement (PA) provide interesting insights into the mitigation and adaptation policies and measures they are implementing or planning, highlighting the limitations imposed by the availability of capacity and finance, as well as by the limits of adaptation. The disaster that occurred on May 28, 2025 in the Swiss Alpine village of Blatten, which was buried under a landslide of ice and rock, and its handling offer useful lessons for adaptation to a glacier disaster. The laudable idea of the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation must primarily serve the goal of adaptation, rather than the apparent illusion that glacier melt can be prevented in the face of global warming. This article focuses on the policy aspects of mitigating and adapting to glacier melt.
Recommended Citation
José Romero
(2025)
"Policy Aspects of Mitigation and Adaptation to Glacier Melt,"
New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 37:
Iss.
2, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol37/iss2/7