Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit:
The theme for International Mountain Day 2025 is “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond.” It aligns with the UN’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, highlighting glaciers’ crucial role in water security, food, clean energy, cultural identity, and the urgent need for their protection. International Mountain Day is an international observance aimed at raising awareness about the role mountainous regions play in our lives and their importance to our planet. Mountains are home to 15% of the world’s population and host nearly half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
Since 2003, International Mountain Day has been observed every year on 11 December to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight both opportunities and challenges in mountain development, and to build alliances that bring positive change to mountain communities and environments. As places of power and heavens on high, mountains serve as abodes of gods and goddesses, often situated at the center of the cosmos, world, or region. Mountains also appear in the form of temples or sacred spaces housing the deities believed to reside on or within them.
Unlike traditional holidays with fixed customs, Mountain Day encourages personal and communal connections to nature. Mountains are more than just towering landforms; some continue to grow due to tectonic activity, and the world’s tallest mountain is actually Mauna Kea—not Everest—when measured from its base underwater. Mountains play a critical role in providing freshwater for the planet, are home to diverse ecosystems, and can even be formed through volcanic eruptions.
Today, on International Mountain Day 2025, let us shine a spotlight on the vital role glaciers play in sustaining life on Earth. Glaciers are more than frozen landscapes—they are lifelines for ecosystems and communities, providing freshwater, food, and livelihoods for billions of people.
The rapid melting of glaciers poses a significant threat to our planet, affecting agriculture, clean energy, water security, and the lives of vulnerable mountain communities. Glaciers hold around 70% of the world’s freshwater, and their accelerated melting is a stark indicator of the climate crisis.
Rising global temperatures are causing glacier retreat, increasing risks such as floods, landslides, and erosion, and endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure. It is time to take action and prioritize glacier preservation for the health of our planet and its inhabitants.
Economically, sectors like agriculture, hydropower, mountain tourism, and transportation are already feeling the strain of glacier changes. For many Indigenous Peoples, glaciers are sacred, and their disappearance signifies a loss of identity and a deep connection to nature.
Let us appreciate the beauty, importance, and vulnerability of mountains. They cover about 27% of the Earth’s land area and are home to around 15% of the global population. Let us work together to preserve the grandeur and significance of mountains for future generations and continue inspiring action and awareness about their protection worldwide.
Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Jodhpur Tekra
Satellite
Ahmedabad – 380 015
