Climate change – a term we are acquainted with, but are our actions complying? Earthlings are no strangers to the changes in weather and other environmental hazards we've witnessed and heard of in recent years. These were not as rampant before, and we have some blame to take here. The United Nations, in its recent report, highlighted that the 'glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century'.

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Glaciers are melting, we know! But the impact is something we have only heard of. "55–60% of global annual freshwater flow supply comes from mountains," as cited in the UN World Water Development Report.

"Glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century if they keep melting at the current rate, potentially jeopardising hundreds of millions of people living downstream," UN climate experts said.

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Which brings us to the point that are we doing enough to save the planet? Will the future generation even have clean drinking water, if nothing else. "It is really high time that we create awareness, and we change our policies, and...we mobilise resources to make sure that we have good policy frameworks in place, and we have good research in place that can help us to mitigate and also adapt to these new changes,” said Sulagna Mishra, a scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organisation.

She further emphasised, "When you ask me how many people are actually impacted, it’s really everyone."

Also read: Chain of underwater active volcanic hotspot discovered hiding near the Cook Islands

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Glaciers make up about 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves, and as they melt, they meet the sea. The latest data suggests 25 to 30% of the rise in sea levels comes from glacial melt. The sea level is rising by about one millimetre higher every year due to melting snow.