According to a report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Himalayan glaciers, which provide vital water resources for nearly two billion people, are melting 65% faster from 2011 to 2020 compared to the previous decade. This accelerated melting, caused by climate change, exposes communities to unpredictable and costly disasters.

Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are essential water sources for approximately 240 million people residing in mountainous areas and an additional 1.65 billion people in the river valleys below.

Based on current emission trajectories, ICIMOD predicts that the glaciers could lose up to 80 percent of their current volume by the end of 2100. This worrisome scenario has prompted a call for urgent climate action.

The glaciers nourish ten of the world’s most significant river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong, and Irrawaddy, directly or indirectly supporting billions of people with crucial resources like food, energy, clean air, and income.

A recent study published in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science by Nature Portfolio has found that human-induced climate change is causing significant melting of the highest glacier on Mt Everest.

The study indicates that the South Col Glacier, located at an elevation of approximately 7,906 meters (25,938 feet) above sea level, has experienced a rapid loss of thickness over the past 25 years. In fact, the glacier has thinned by as much as 55 meters during this period. The study warns that if this trend continues, the South Col Glacier could completely disappear by the middle of the current century.

Even if global warming is limited to the temperature goals of the Paris climate treaty (1.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels), the glaciers are still expected to lose a significant portion of their volume by 2100, ranging from one-third to half, as highlighted in the peer-reviewed report.

The most vulnerable populations bear the brunt of the impact, despite contributing the least to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global temperature rise. Many indigenous populations in Nepal’s high-altitude regions have been displaced and will continue to be displaced by floods and the reduced water supply caused by melting glaciers.