France, March 21 -- All 19 of the world's glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024, for the third consecutive year, the United Nations said on Friday. It has declared 21 March World Day for Glaciers, warning that at current rates of melting, many glaciers "will not survive the 21st century".

Five of the last six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record, the UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said, on its inaugural World Day for Glaciers.

"Preservation of glaciers is a not just an environmental, economic and societal necessity: it's a matter of survival," said WMO chief Celeste Saulo.

"From 2022 to 2024, we saw the largest three-year loss of glaciers on record," she said, adding that the worst yea...