Pollutants are an important factor leading to glacier degradation. Black carbon is one of the substances contributing most to the thawing of snow and ice cover. It results from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, emissions of diesel engines for transport and industrial purposes, as well as forest fires and burning of agricultural waste. Sedimenting on the cover of glaciers, black carbon reduces the albedo of the surface, which in turn leads to their heating and further thawing. This is extremely important for mountain areas. This review considers the current modern effects of pollutants, including black carbon, on the degradation of glaciers in mountain regions, on the example of the Central Caucasus. The work shows that the mountain glaciers of the Central Caucasus are gradually, although unevenly melting and the cause is not only global warming, but also pollutants settling on their surface. The transport routes and sources of glacier pollution are shown. Air masses from the Middle East, Eastern and Sout