Scientists have warned that the world’s highest peaks are at risk of losing up to 80% of their volume by the end of the current century with serious consequences for millions of people who are already suffering the volatile climate changes.
International scientists in Nepal examined in a report, published today Tuesday by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the impact of climate change on an area stretching 1.6 million square miles (4.1 million square kilometers) from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east.
According to the report, glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya mountain range region melted 65% faster in the 2010s compared with the previous decade, which suggests higher temperatures are already having an impact.
Scientists consider 1.5 degrees of warming as a key tipping point, beyond which the chances of extreme flooding, drought l, wildfires and food shortage ls could increase drastically.
According to reports, many high mountain communities rely on glacial waters to irrigate crops and to maintain their livestock, but the accelerated melting would inundate farmlands and will be followed by periods of drought.
