World Heritage glaciers : Sentinels of climate change

World Heritage glaciers cover almost 10% of the Earth’s glacierized area and play a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. However, they are retreating at an accelerated rate because of climate change. By combining satellite data and projections at the site level, this study quantifies the extent of World Heritage glaciers’ retreat and its impact on global sea-level rise and provides projections of glacier mass loss. It also provides key information to facilitate dialogue between policymakers and local stakeholders in the development of effective actions to counteract substantial glacier retreat and to respond to subsequent inevitable changes in glacierized sites.