Limiting global warming now can preserve valuable freshwater

Snowcapped mountains not only look majestic, they're also vital to a delicate ecosystem that has existed for tens of thousands of years. Mountain water runoff and snowmelt flows down to streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans—and today, around a quarter of the world depends on these natural "water towers" to replenish downstream reservoirs and groundwater aquifers for urban water supplies, agricultural irrigation, and ecosystem support.