Western Canada glaciers suffered 2nd-greatest ice loss on record in 2025

The United Nations designated 2025 as “The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation,”  but a northern B.C. climate researcher now says last year turned out to be the second worst year on record for glacier loss in western Canada.

“We have to understand that it’s not a question of if the glaciers are going to disappear, they are going to disappear,” said Brian Menounos, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia and the chief scientist at the Airborne Coastal Observatory of the Hakai Institute.

“What we’re finding is that these glaciers are disappearing much faster than previously projected.”

Menounos estimates some 30 gigatonnes of glacial ice were lost in the region last year. One gigatonne represents one cubic kilometre of water — roughly equivalent to the entirety of B.C.’s Okanagan Lake.

“The first and foremost factor really is warmer temperatures and that’s driven in large part by rising greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use,” Menounos says.

Menounos and a team of international researchers have been tracking global glacial health using satellite and aircraft observation, as well as on-the-ice sampling. 

Last summer they published a peer reviewed study reporting unprecedented ice loss in Western Canada, the Conterminous U.S. and Switzerland between 2021-2024.

A peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature last February warned of global glacier loss.

“We’re finding that there’s this pronounced acceleration, both due to the warmer conditions, but also the lack of snow in late summer. That’s important because it really changes how reflective these glacier surfaces are,” said Menounos.

Warmer conditions cause snow grains to get larger and optically darker and less reflective, creating a feedback loop that increases glacial melt. Winter snowfall, even during heavy seasons,  cannot replace the lost ice mass. 

Mark Ednie, a glaciologist with the Geological Survey of Canada says there is a clear scientific consensus on glacial loss.

“We see glaciers shrinking, receding, thinning, losing mass everywhere in the world and that’s no exception for Canada,” he says.

Ednie says the loss of glacial ice can have a direct and devastating impact on the environment and economy.

“Glaciers are … like keeping water in the bank basically. So water stored during cold times and then released during hot times, for industry, for agriculture.” he says. “Once these glaciers are gone … we’re going to see a difference in the amount of water that we have for all our human consumption.”

WATCH | How melting glaciers will impact the world’s water supply:

Johanna Wagstaffe explains science behind shrinking glaciers.

In B.C. which is home to some 17,000 glaciers, glacial melting also impacts river levels that are critical to fish runs and hydro power.

Ottawa Climate Action Plan: “Have it Both Ways”

Both federal and provincial governments say they are committed to fighting climate change.  

In a statement to CBC News, B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said the government has partnered with researchers to track glaciers and understand how climate change is affecting B.C., but it remains a complex inter-jurisdictional issue to solve. 

The federal government’s Climate Action Plan promises to ‘Have it Both Ways’ and commits to meeting emissions targets while maintaining economic growth.

That reflects recent federal and provincial government partnerships to build new fossil fuel facilities, like the expansion of north coast LNG facilities and a possible northern pipeline.  

For glacial researchers like Menounos, the choice between the economy and climate is cold comfort. 

“Fossil fuels have been really important for the livelihood of Canada and other developed countries, but they come with a tremendous cost.”