Including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow River, Mekong, and Irrawaddy, are fed by Himalayan glaciers, which directly or indirectly provide billions of people with food, energy, and income.
Two billion people in Asia are supplied with water by snow and glaciers. “The consequences of the loss of this cryosphere (frozen zone), are unthinkable,” stated Izabella Koziell, deputy head of ICIMOD.
Even if global warming is restricted to 1.5°C to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, as stipulated in the Paris climate treaty, glaciers are expected to lose between a third and half of their volume by 2100, according to the study.
“This highlights the need for urgent climate action,” Philippus Wester stated. We must do everything in our power to lessen the effects of climate change, and even a small increase will be significant.
