A new study by scientists has warned that two-thirds of Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2100 if global warming is not reduced. According to the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) assessment report, released in Kathmandu, even the most ambitious Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees would lead to melting of one-third of the region’s glaciers.
The study warns that if global climate efforts fail the current emissions would lead to five degrees in warming and a loss of two-thirds of the region’s glaciers by 2100. The report said Himalayan glaciers are a critical water source to some 250 million mountain dwellers and 1.65 billion others living in the river valleys.
The report was prepared over five years and it includes insight by more than 350 researchers and policy experts from 22 countries and 185 organizations, 210 authors, 20 review editors and 125 external reviewers.
The HKH region covers 3,500 kilometres across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Nestled in its record-breaking peaks, glaciers feed 10 of the world’s most important river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong and Irrawaddy.
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