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The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Tuesday that a 50-member expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is in progress to raise awareness about the rapid melting of glaciers caused by climate change.

 As a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and a vital water source for millions in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa's tallest mountain is losing its glaciers at an alarming rate.

To draw global attention to this threat, youth from Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States, along with scientists, UN experts, and climate advocates, began climbing the mountain on Monday, aiming to complete their mission by Sunday. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO director-general, said that reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro will emphasize the urgency to take action against climate-induced glacier melting and the existential threats it poses to livelihoods and ecosystems. 

"With science as our compass, the international community must unite to protect our glaciers," Azoulay said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. "This is what the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, led by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, is all about."

The expedition, led by renowned polar explorer Borge Ousland and Kilimanjaro Initiative founder Tim Challen, will combine science and advocacy. Climbers will perform environmental research during the climb, gathering data on water pollution, vegetation stress, and ecosystem health. 

The mission also supports UNESCO's Kilimanjaro Transboundary Aquifer System Program, an $8 million initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility to promote sustainable groundwater management and climate resilience in the Kenya-Tanzania border region. UNESCO reports that Mount Kilimanjaro has lost 85 percent of its glacial ice and over 30 percent of its forest cover since 1912, citing researchers from the University of Dodoma, Tanzania.

UNESCO warns that the ecological crisis is worsening droughts, degrading ecosystems, and increasing water scarcity, especially for women and other vulnerable groups. 

Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders is key to highlighting the threats facing this vital water source and driving solutions, said Challen.

(Cover: Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, viewed from Amboseli National Park, Kenya. /VCG)