UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) have declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation with a dedicated day, 21 March, the day before World Water Day on 22 March, established by the United Nations in 1992.
It is estimated that almost 2 billion people worldwide depend on water from glaciers for domestic use, agriculture and energy production. One statistic is of particular concern: in 2023 more than 600 billion tonnes of water were lost worldwide, the largest mass reduction recorded in the last 50 years. In Italy, the average Alpine glacier has lost about 26 million tonnes of water in the last 30 years.*
Decreases and changes in glacial runoff cause floods, droughts, landslides, a rise in sea level and damage to ecosystems.
Safeguarding water resources is increasingly central to the CDP Group's activities, as confirmed by the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.
In keeping with European objectives, Cassa is committed to promoting efficient, sustainable management of the sector through financing and advisory services to companies and public authorities for the upgrading of water infrastructure.
Recent major operations include the pooled financing of the Viveracqua Consortium in Veneto for a total of 200 million euros, a 30 million euro loan to Consorzio BIM (Bacino Imbrifero Montano) to improve the Valle d'Aosta's integrated water system, and the 15 million euro loan to ABC (Acqua Bene Comune) Naples to improve the efficiency of Naples's water network using a digitised system and to renovate the city's fountains.
Check out the infographic dedicated to the two days on CDP's Instagram channel. *Sources: UN-Water/UNESCO, WMO and ISPRA