‘On thin ice’: UN chief warns against rapid Himalayan glacier melt
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of rapid Himalayan glacier melt, describing Nepal as “on thin ice” after losing nearly one-third of its ice in just over 30 years, with glacier melt accelerating 65% in the last decade, UN website reported.
Speaking at the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad in Kathmandu, Guterres highlighted the threat to freshwater supplies from glaciers that feed major South Asian rivers like the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus, endangering nearly two billion people’s water and food security. He warned that saltwater intrusion and collapsing deltas could cause mass displacement and the loss of low-lying communities.
Ahead of the summit, over 100 children and youth urged urgent climate action recognizing them as active rights-holders. UNICEF Nepal’s head, Alice Akunga, emphasized the climate crisis as a child rights crisis impacting health, nutrition, and education.
Guterres called on the world to “stop the madness” of fossil fuel-driven warming, praising Nepal’s climate leadership, including reforestation and net-zero emissions goals by 2045. He urged immediate global action to limit warming to 1.5°C, with major emitters leading, investing in renewable energy, fulfilling the $1.3 trillion climate finance goal, doubling adaptation finance, and supporting the Loss and Damage Fund. He stressed bold collaboration and affirmed the UN’s commitment to support these efforts.
