India, Nov. 2 -- Over half of the world's glaciers, by number, could disappear, while melting polar ice sheets push the global sea higher even if global warming is restricted to 1.5degC, findings of two new reports released on Monday have revealed.

The reports, Overshoot and the Cryosphere: Averting Global Meltdown and State of the Cryosphere 2026: The Cost of Overshoot, were released jointly by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - ahead of the 31st Conference of Parties (COP31) in Turkiye next week.

The reports state even at current warming levels of around 1.4degC, significant and irreversible ice loss has already been set in motion, underlining the long-term cons...