Getz glaciers named to highlight climate crisis

Nine fast-flowing glaciers in West Antarctica have been named after locations of important climate treaties, conferences and reports. One of the glaciers is now called Glasgow Glacier to mark the city hosting the COP26 climate change conference. Scientists discovered that these glaciers in the Getz region of Antarctica are increasing in speed in as they flow towards the ocean. The research, which includes data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, will help determine if these glaciers could collapse in the next few decades and how this would affect future global sea-level rise. Between 1994 and 2018, all 14 glaciers in Getz accelerated, on average, by almost 25%, with three glaciers accelerating by over 44%.

Newly named glaciers

The Geneva Glacier flows at the western end of the Getz Ice Shelf and was named after the world’s first climate conference in 1979.

The Rio Glacier lies further east and commemorates the first Earth Summit in 1992 where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was opened for signatures along with its sisters the Rio convention, the UN convention on biological diversity and the UN convention to combat desertification.

The Berlin Glacier flows further east and is named after the first Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995, which assessed the progress of dealing with climate change. It marked the uniting of the world to tackle climate change and the agreement on a mandate for future negotiations. 

Still further east lies the Kyoto Glacier commemorating the formal adoption of the Kyoto Protocol at COP3 in 1997, which legally bound developed countries to emission reduction targets.

The Bali Glacier marks the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forth assessment report in 2007. Around this time, climate science entered into the popular consciousness. At COP13, parties agreed on the Bali road map, which charted the way towards post-2012 outcome with a working group on long-term cooperative action under the convention.

The Stockholm Glacier honours the IPCC fifth assessment report approval session in 2014. This report represents the biggest ever coming together of scientists at the time.

The Paris Glacier memorialises the agreement of a legally binding treaty in 2015 that aimed to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably below 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. It was adopted by 196 parties.

The Incheon Glacier marks the meeting of the IPCC to consider the special report of global warming of 1.5°C in 2015. This marked the first time the three different IPCC working groups worked together to produce a report in an interdisciplinary manner.

The Glasgow Glacier marks COP26 being held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK in October 2021. The main aims of which are to secure global net zero emissions by the middle of the century, keep the goal 1.5°C within reach, adapt to protect communities and natural habitats, mobilise climate finance, work together to finalise the Paris Rulebook and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis.

Read full story: Antarctic glacier named Glasgow to mark COP26