The International Glaciological Society will hold an International Symposium on ‘Changes in Glaciers and Ice Sheets: observations, modelling and environmental interactions’ in 2013. The symposium will be held in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, from 28 July to 2 August 2013 Glaciers and ice sheets are important components that control sea level change. In response to a warming climate, Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets have significantly lost mass during the last decade, and mountain glaciers worldwide have rapidly declined. Changes in mountain glaciers have direct impacts on human activities, especially in mid-latitude regions, where high-altitude snow and ice contribute to the hydrological controls of human activity. Therefore, the symposium specifically includes topics pertinent to the Earth’s ‘Third Pole’. To improve our understanding of the dynamics of cryospheric change, interactions with the climate and impact on the living environment of mountainous regions, it aims to provide a general discussion of changes in these components of the global cryosphere with broader aspects from recent in situ observations, remote sensing measurements and modelling efforts.