Melting Himalayan glaciers threaten two billion lives

Source: The post is based on the article “Melting Himalayan glaciers threaten two billion lives” published in Livemint on 21st June 2023

What is the News?

According to a report from International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Glaciers in Asia’s Hindu Kush Himalayas are melting at unprecedented rates and could lose up to 75 percent of their volume by century’s end.

What is Hindu Kush Himalayas?

The Hindu Kush Himalaya stretches 3,500 km (2,175 miles) across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

They are instrumental in feeding ten of the world’s most important river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong, and Irrawaddy providing essential water resources, energy, clean air, and income for billions of individuals.

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What are the key findings of the report?

Between 2011 and 2020, the glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region vanished 65 percent faster than in the previous decade, primarily due to the impacts of climate change.

If current greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the report warns that the Himalayan glaciers could lose up to 80 percent of their current volume by the end of this century. 

Even under the most optimistic scenario of limiting global warming to the 1.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius agreed upon in the Paris climate treaty, the glaciers are projected to lose between one-third and one-half of their volume by 2100.

The consequences of this unprecedented glacial melt are dire as it can cause both dangerous flooding and water shortages for the 240 million people who live in the mountainous region.

Melting glaciers also pose a danger to downstream communities. Runoff pools in shallow lakes, held back by rocks and debris. The risk comes when a lake overfills, bursting through its natural barrier and sending a torrent of water rushing down mountain valleys.