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https://www.sciencealert.com/himalayan-glaciers-are-melting-65-faster-than-just-10-years-ago>
'Himalayan glaciers providing critical water to nearly two billion people are
melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to
unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warned Tuesday.
The glaciers disappeared 65 percent faster from 2011 to 2020 compared with the
previous decade, according to a report by the International Centre for
Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
"As it gets warmer, ice will melt, that was expected, but what is unexpected
and very worrying is the speed," lead author Philippus Wester told AFP. "This
is going much faster than we thought."
Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region are a crucial water source for
around 240 million people in the mountainous regions, as well as for another
1.65 billion people in the river valleys below, the report said.
Based on current emissions trajectories, the glaciers could lose up to 80
percent of their current volume by the end of the century, said the Nepal-based
ICIMOD, an inter-governmental organization that also includes member countries
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan.
The glaciers feed 10 of the world's most important river systems, including the
Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong, and Irrawaddy, and directly or indirectly supply
billions of people with food, energy, clean air, and income.
"With two billion people in Asia reliant on the water that glaciers and snow
here hold, the consequences of losing this cryosphere (a frozen zone) are too
vast to contemplate," said ICIMOD's deputy chief Izabella Koziell.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
