Glaciers Will Take Centuries to Recover Even if Global Warming Is Reversed, Scientists Warn

The damage to mountain glaciers as a result of climate change and the rise in temperature is such that it could only be reversed if centuries passed. Even if the planet cooled suddenly and reached the limit of 1.5 °C. Also in this case it would take so long to change that damage already done. A sad conclusion that emerges from a study published today in Nature Climate Change and led by the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) and the Universit…

Glaciers will take centuries to recover even if global warming is reversed, scientists warn

New research reveals mountain glaciers across the globe will not recover for centuries—even if human intervention cools the planet back to the 1.5°C limit, having exceeded it.

Mountain Glaciers Face Centuries-Long Recovery Even if Warming Reversed

London, UK (SPX) May 20, 2025 New research indicates that glaciers around the world will require centuries to recover, even if global temperatures are eventually reduced to pre-industrial levels. The study, led by scientists from the University of Bristol and the University of Innsbruck, presents the first global simulations of glacier change up to 2500 under "overshoot" scenarios, where temperatures exceed the 1.5C limit be

When global climate change is stopped, the glaciers will recover, but this will take centuries.

The study evaluated the evolution of glaciers in a severe ultrasound scenario where global temperatures continue to rise, reaching 3°C around 2150, before falling to 1.5°C around 2300 and stabilized.

Even if humanity succeeds in stabilizing the climate, the effects of global warming on glaciers will remain felt for many generations