At Least One-Third of Himalayan Ice to Disappear by 2100

 

At least one-third of the ice in the Himalayan Mountains will disappear by the end of this century because of rising temperatures, scientists said this week. This will threaten river flows that provide water resources for 1.9 billion people.

Huge glaciers² make the Hindu Kush Himalaya area the planet's so-called “third pole” -- behind Antarctica and the Arctic. The area is home to the world’s highest mountains. It stretches 3,500 kilometers across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India and Myanmar.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan Assessment³ was released on Monday. The Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, or ICIMOD, carried out the five-year report. It is one of the largest-ever studies on warming in mountain areas. More than 200 experts helped write the report.

“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester, who led the report.

Wester said climate change is set to turn cold, ice-covered Himalayan mountains to bare rocks by the year 2100.

Himalayan glaciers feed 10 major rivers, including the Yangtze, Ganges and the Indus. Farmers living in the area use glacial melt water for their crops in the dry season. About 250 million people live in the mountains. Another 1.65 billion people live in river valleys below.

Changes in river flows could also harm hydropower production and cause more landslides⁴ in the mountains.

Along with global warming, air pollution is also affecting the area, the study found. The Hindu Kush includes an area called the Indo-Gangetic Plains – one of the most polluted places in the world. Air pollutants⁵ like black carbon and dust land on the glaciers, which speeds up their melting, too.

The report said that one-third of the ice will melt by 2100 even if governments worldwide meet goals set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming.

But if governments fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions⁷, about two-thirds of ice in the Himalayas could disappear by 2100.

Wester told the Reuters news agency, “To me this is the biggest worrying thing.”

The study said governments in the region must change their existing agriculture systems, prepare for droughts and put up early flood warning systems.

The report’s writers noted⁸ that people living in small island states are often considered to be the most vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels. But Dasho Rinzin Dorji, who is with ICIMOD, said mountain areas such as the Himalayas are also extremely vulnerable “climate hotspots.”

“It’s not just occupants of the world’s islands that are suffering,” he said.

David Molden is director of ICIMOD. He added, “Mountain people are really getting hit hard….We have to do something now.”

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

glacier¹ - n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land

assessment - n. an idea or opinion about something

bare - adj. not having a covering

hydropower - n. electricity produced from machines that are run by moving water

vulnerable - adj. open to harm or damage

greenhouse - adj. relating to or caused by the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution : relating to or caused by the greenhouse effect

emission⁶ - n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

1 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

2 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

5 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。