The ice on the world’s highest mountains is melting, and much faster than previously thought. A new discovery suggests that glaciers in Asia’s Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain region have melted. 65% faster between 2010 and 2019, compared to the previous decade. In this case, it is estimated that they could lose 80% of their total volume by 2100.
This is new data on the impact of climate change. Just like some damage may be irreversible. The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, Nepal, warned in a report released this week that the melting glaciers could affect up to 2 billion people live in the region.
Not only that, floods and avalanches will become more frequent in the coming years. Ice and snow in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges in the Himalayas are the main source of fresh water. They feed the set 12 rivers flowing through 16 Asian countries.
The effects are already hitting hardest on mountain communities, which have had to deal with complete crop failures, loss of livestock, or destruction of homes and infrastructure. The researchers also warn that the extinction of several animal species is accelerating.
The outlook is bleak, even at best. Unless average global warming exceeds 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the Hindu Kush Himalayas will lose at least a third of their glaciers.
The most accurate study of glaciers in the Himalayas
The researchers surveyed an area of about 2,500 square kilometers of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, stretching from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east. The study was funded in part by the governments of several countries to assess how climate change is affecting their natural resources and how they may affect their citizens.
Unlike the European Alps and the North American Rockies, there is not much historical evidence of glacier measurements in the area. The latest achievements in the field of satellite technology and new field studies were used. participated 35 researchers and scientists from 12 different countries and 23 institutions. The report emphasizes that this is the most accurate analysis ever made.
“Everything happens quickly,” said Miriam Jackson, a cryospheric researcher and one of the study’s authors. New York Times. “There have been quite a few changes. And I think it’s a surprise to a lot of people that things are happening so fast.”
The alarm went off a few years ago. Numerous previous studies have shown how the cryosphere (areas of the Earth covered with snow and ice) is shrinking. Mount Everest, for example, has lost 2,000 years of ice in the last 30 years. according to a study published last year.
The paradox is that communities that have done little to nothing to contribute to global warming are the ones most at risk, explains Amina Maharyan, a migration specialist and co-author of the report. “Current adaptation efforts are completely inadequate and we are extremely concerned that without further support these communities will not be able to cope,” he told AP.
Glaciers of the European Alps
A second report released yesterday by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service also warns of significant loss of glaciers in the European Alps by 2022.
In all regions of Europe, except for southwestern Scandinavia, the loss of ice mass by glaciers has been recorded. This is a record decline in a year.
The last eight years have been the hottest on record, according to a World Meteorological Organization warning issued in January. global average temperature is about 1.2 °C above the pre-industrial baseline. The scientific community has warned that the 1.5°C threshold could be exceeded in 2027.
United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023 will be held from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai. This new climate summit will consider the commitments of the world’s most polluting countries and their financial contributions to solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN, environmental factors claim the lives of about 13 million people every year.
Source: Hiper Textual
