GlacierHub17
Glaciers bring us valuable insights as they sit on the frontlines of climate change. Each week, GlacierHub shares stories about lessons to humanity in the form of changing water supplies, natural resource conflicts, omnipresent natural hazards and threats to biodiversity. It describes the responses of indigenous peoples, scientists, artists, local communities and organizations to the challenges brought by glacier retreat—demonstrating the relevance of the world’s high icy places for all humankind.
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Environmentalists and Glacier Activists Are Poised to Rewrite Chile’s Constitution
A newly elected constitutional assembly is charged with rewriting Chile’s constitution from scratch, with strong representation from Indigenous peoples and environmentalists, including glacier activists.
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New Guidance Gives National Parks Tools to Make Tough Decisions on Climate Change
Guidance released in April aims to have parks incorporate climate change scenarios into all future planning, recognizing that it won’t be possible to save everything.
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COVID-19 Lockdowns Led to the Cleanest Snow Across Asia in 20 Years
Reduced air pollution led to cleaner snow in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush, with significant implications for water supplies for people across the Indus River Basin.
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A Tale of Two Alpine Towns: Study Highlights How Different Tourism Strategies Influence Resilience
Fifty years of data from two towns in the Austrian Alps suggest that the community that focused solely on winter tourism was less resilient.
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German Court Sides With Youth Climate Activists to Safeguard Human Rights
The court ordered an expansion of the country’s carbon emissions law on the same day as an announcement that Germany’s glaciers could be gone in a decade.
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Climate Change and Glaciers Affect Mountain-Building in Patagonia
Extensive field work in Patagonia confirms the theory that climate change and glaciers can affect the forces inside the Earth that build mountains.
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An Interview With Wesley Morgan on Warfare in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan
The author of a recent book explains how the mountainous terrain and complex linguistic landscape limited U.S. military operations in the Pech Valley.
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Melting Glaciers Have Shifted the Earth’s Axis
New research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that polar drift experienced in the 1990s was caused by a redistribution of water from glaciers to oceans.
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An Artificial Neural Network Joins the Fight Against Receding Glaciers
A new artificial neural network named CALFIN catalogues the rates at which glaciers are melting, demonstrating what the future of glaciology could look like.

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

