Glasgow Glacier is located on the coast of Getz in the region of Antarctica. The glacier has been named after the city of Glasgow in honour of the COP26 Climate Conference being held in the city. The conference’s main goals are to ensure global net zero emissions by the middle of this century, maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, protect natural habitats and accelerate action to combat climate change.
Highlights
The Glasgow Glacier is 100 km long. Its area is 2,630 square kilometers. Currently, it is melting rapidly. Located on the Getz coast of Antarctica. In the last 25 years, the Getz Coast has lost 315 million tons of ice. Several other glaciers on the Getz coast were named in a similar way. These are Rio, Geneva, Kyoto, Berlin, Stockholm, Bali, Incheon and Paris. Glaciers located on the Getz coast are fast melting with their melting rate having been increased by 25% from the years 1994 to 2018.
Other named glaciers
- Rio Glacier: In the year 1992, the first Earth Summit was held in the city of Rio. Thus, Rio was the name given to the glacier.
- Geneva Glacier: During the first UNFCCC held in the year 1979 this glacier was named. At this conference, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was also established.
- Kyoto Glacier: In the year 1997, the UNFCCC was held in the city of Kyoto. During this conference, the developed countries across the world established targets to reduce emission.
- Berlin Glacier: In the year 1995, the UNFCCC was held in the city of Berlin. The meeting evaluated the progress of climate change efforts.
- Stockholm Glacier: In the year 2014 the UNFCCC was held in the city of Stockholm. During this meet, the fifth assessment report was released by IPCC.
- Bali Glacier: The UNFCCC was held in Bali in the year 2007. A fourth IPCC assessment report was published during the meeting. During this time, climate science entered the public consciousness.
- Incheon Glacier: In the year 2018, the UNFCCC was held in the city of Incheon. During the meeting, the IPCC released a special report on the effects of a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius. It was also pointed out that the world temperature could rise by 2 degrees Celsius.
- Paris Glacier: The UNFCCC was held in Paris in 2015. It was during this conference that the most popular “Paris Agreement” was signed. The purpose was to limit the rise in global temperature to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Conclusion
Over the past 40 years, it has been observed by satellites the devastating effects of global warming by observing the changes in glacial flow, collapse of icebergs and the staggering occurrence of rapidly thinning ice. Named after major conferences, climate treaties and lectures, the glacier is a way to celebrate international scientific and policy coordination on climate change over the past 42 years.