Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges and could lose up to 80% of their current volume this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t sharply reduced, according to a new report.
FILE – The Sutlej River flows in the valley below the tall snowy peaks in the Kinnaur district of the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India, March 13, 2023. A new report Tuesday, June 20, from a Nepal-based research organization finds that water security for nearly 2 billion people living downstream of rivers that originate in the Himalayan ranges will likely be threatened by the end of this century due to rapid glacier melt if global warming is not controlled.
“The people living in these mountains who have contributed next to nothing to global warming are at high risk due to climate change,” said Amina Maharjan, a migration specialist and one of the report’s authors. “Current adaptation efforts are wholly insufficient, and we are extremely concerned that without greater support, these communities will be unable to cope.”
Among the key findings from Tuesday’s report are that the Himalayan glaciers disappeared 65% faster since 2010 than in the previous decade and reducing snow cover due to global warming will result in reduced fresh water for people living downstream. The study found that 200 glacier lakes across these mountains are deemed dangerous, and the region could see a significant spike in glacial lake outburst floods by the end of the century.
“Once ice melts in these regions, it’s very difficult to put it back to its frozen form,” said Pam Pearson, director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, who was not involved with the report.
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Himalayan glaciers could lose 80% of their volume if global warming not controlled, study findsA new report from a Nepal-based research organization finds that water security for nearly 2 billion people living downstream from the Hindu Kush Himalayan ranges will likely be threatened by the end of this century if global warming is not controlled.
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Himalayan glaciers could lose 80% of their volume if global warming not controlled, study findsA new report from a Nepal-based research organization finds that water security for nearly 2 billion people living downstream from the Hindu Kush Himalayan ranges will likely be threatened by the end of this century if global warming is not controlled.
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