We all know that the peaks and the valleys of the Hindu Kush Himalaya mountain ranges are not so accessible and are remote regions in today’s world. The irony is that even the isolated valleys have been touched by climate change. The scientists after recent research are claiming that at least one third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush would defrost this century as the mercury goes up. Thus, disrupting the important river flows for growing crops from China to India.
As per the recent report, the air temperatures across the high mountain region, starting from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east have risen by nearly 2°F since the start of the twentieth century. To this, the cold temperatures have warmed up faster than in the rest of the world. The weather patterns are becoming unpredictable, leading to disruption in previously reliable water sources for millions and pushing more natural disasters.
Around two thirds of the ice might vanish if governments fail to control greenhouse gas emissions in this century. Defrosting would disrupt the rivers Yangtze, Mekong, Indus and the Ganga on which the farmers rely at the time of glacier melt water during dry season.
The authors mentioned that people who live in small island states have been viewed as the most vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels.
Dasho Rinzin Dorji, an ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) board member from Bhutan said that is just not the inhabitants of the world’s islands who are suffering, the mountain ranges are extremely under vulnerable conditions.
Image Credit: Reuters
