Lakes help fight the climate crisis.

 


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Lakes play a key role in maintaining biodiversity, offering a habitat for countless species of fish, plants, and wildlife.

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Natural and artificial lakes contain more than 90% of the Fresh water on the surface of the Earth. Up to 80 % of global wastewater is estimated to enter water bodies untreated with adverse impacts on human and ecosystem health. Rain washes the nutrients in fertilizer into waterways and lakes which can lead to damaging algal blooms, which are predicted to increase by at least 20% by 2050. In half the world’s countries one or more types of freshwater ecosystems are degraded, including rivers, lakes and aquifers.
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Glaciers, lakes and the global hydrological cycle.

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To understand the fate of lakes , we need to zoom out to the global hydrological cycle – the invisible thread linking glaciers, rivers, wetlands, aquifers and seas. Glaciers , often called “water towers of the world”, feed many of the planet’s lakes and rivers. Nearly 1.9 billion people depend on these frozen reserves for drinking water, irrigation and hydropower. But climate change is melting glaciers at unprecedented rates . Recognizing this, 2025 marks the United Nations International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation . The year 2024 was the warmest year on record, and in 2023 alone, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of ice – the greatest loss in five decades. As they retreat, a new phenomenon is reshaping mountain landscapes: the explosive growth of glacial lakes . These lakes can be both lifelines and risks. They store meltwater, acting as buffers during drought . But they also pose catastrophic risks through glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) , which can devastate entire ...
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Why it matters for all of us?

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Lakes may seem remote, but their health determines our own . They are essential parts of the global hydrological cycle – a topic that is on the table for discussion at the Seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly , to be held in December 2025. Like other freshwater ecosystems , lakes are important buffers against drought, engines of local economies and cradles of biodiversity. They are also sentinels, warning us of the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis . Protecting freshwater ecosystems like lakes is not optional . It is central to biodiversity, water, energy and food security, and offers climate resilience . Member States, guided by the leadership of Indonesia, must adopt an integrated water resources management approach to enhance lake protection and restoration . Greater investments in infrastructure, data and innovative solutions are crucial to meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 – clean water and sanitation for all – and ensure long-term...
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