Himalayan glaciers are melting at unprecedented rate, study finds

June 20, 2023

Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting at an unprecedented rate due to climate change and are threatening the water supply of nearly two billion people, according to a scientific study published on Tuesday.

Between 2011 and 2020, glaciers have melted 65% faster than in the previous decade, says this study by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

“With the warming, the ice will melt, it was predictable. But what is unexpected and very worrying is the speed,” the study’s lead author, Philippus Wester, told AFP.

“It’s going much faster than we thought,” he said.

The glaciers of the Hindu Kush and Himalayan region are a crucial source of water for around 240 million people in the mountainous regions, as well as another 1.65 billion people in the valleys below , says the report.

Based on current emissions trajectories, glaciers could lose up to 80% of their current volume by the end of the century, estimated ICIMOD, an intergovernmental organization based in Nepal and whose member countries are also Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Burma and Pakistan.

Himalayan glaciers feed 10 of the world’s most important river basins, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow River, Mekong and Irrawaddy, and directly or indirectly provide food, energy and income to billions of people.

“Two billion people in Asia depend on water from glaciers and snow. The consequences of losing this cryosphere (frozen zone) are unthinkable,” said Izabella Koziell, deputy head of ICIMOD.

Even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C to 2°C above pre-industrial levels agreed in the Paris Climate Treaty, glaciers are expected to lose between a third and a half of their volume by 2100, according to the study.

“This underscores the need for urgent climate action,” Wester said. “Every small increase will have a huge impact and we really, really need to work on mitigating climate change.”