The latest finding of the UNESCO that one-third of iconic heritage glacier sites are set to disappear by 2050 on account of global warming shows that it is time for world leaders and communities to press the panic button on carbon dioxide emission. A new study by UNESCO, in partnership with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), shows these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to carbon dioxide emission which are warming temperatures. They are currently losing 58 billion tonnes of ice every year – equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain– and are responsible for nearly 5% of observed global sea-level rise, according to the UNESCO report. The study's conclusion that it is still possible to save the glaciers in the remaining two-thirds of world heritage sites if the rise in temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial period, has sounded the alarm bell for the world leaders to act fast. "This report is a call to action. Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them. COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue. UNESCO is determined to support states in pursuing this goal", says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay which explains the importance of COP27 - the United Nations Climate Change conference beginning on Monday in Egypt addressing the issue with concrete actions on reducing carbon footprint across the globe. IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle explains that when glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting rise in sea levels. The report titled 'UNESCO, IUCN, 2022: World Heritage Glaciers: Sentinels of climate change', states that glaciers are some of the most valuable indicators for understanding climate change and among the most dramatic evidences that Earth's climate is warming is the retreat and disappearance of glaciers around the world. The study identified 18,600 glaciers spanning an area of about 66,000 km in 50 world heritage sites, representing almost 10% of the Earth's total glacierized area. The UNESCO-IUCN study report explains that annual runoff will initially increase until the peak volume is reached due to melting and then reduce and there will be no base flow from glacier during dry period. It has projected that "in the Himalayas, annual glacier runoff is projected to rise until roughly 2050, followed by a steady decline thereafter."The Central government informed the Lok Sabha in April that the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has supported various research and development projects for studying Himalayan glaciers under the National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change. The mass balance studies conducted for some Himalayan glaciers by University of Kashmir, Sikkim University, India Institute of Science and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, according to information provided by the government in the Parliament, revealed that the majority of Himalayan glaciers are melting or retreating at varying rates. Melting glaciers have significant impact on water resources of Himalayan rivers, including two major river system Brahmaputra and Ganga, due to change in glacier basin hydrology, downstream water budget, impact on hydropower plants due to variation in discharge, flash flood and sedimentation. They also increase in risk related to glacier hazards due to enhanced number and volume of glacier lakes, accelerated flash flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), impact on agro practices in high Himalayan region, says the government about the importance of monitoring of Himalayan glaciers by various Indian institutes, universities, and organizations. Government scaling up Himalayan glacier monitoring by increasing budgetary allocation will go a long way in drawing up the roadmap for adaptative measures. Indian researcher working on study supported by the Climate Change Programme of the DST solving the puzzle popularly known as "Karakoram anomaly" of glaciers of a small region in central Karakoram Range resisting glacial melt due to global warming contrary to global trend, including the Himalayas, has also demonstrated the progress the country has made in glacial studies. The study suggests that precipitation intensity of western disturbances, which is the primary feeder of snowfall in the region during winter, increased by about 10% in the Karakoram Range in the last two decades, which explains the anomaly. As these scientific studies have revealed an alarming situation, the Central and state governments focussing on developing early warning systems and disaster risk reduction measures will be crucial for protecting people along the river basins fed by Himalayan glaciers from disasters. Desired results can be achieved only by taking the messages of these studies beyond the scientific realm and raise awareness among the masses on reducing global warming to save the glaciers.