China’s glacier area has shrunk by 26% since 1960 as a result of speedy international warming, with 7,000 small glaciers disappearing fully and glacial retreat intensifying lately, official knowledge launched in March confirmed.
Glaciers across the globe are disappearing sooner than ever, with the biggest glacial mass loss on document going down within the final three years, in response to a UNESCO report.
As the vital water towers proceed to shrink, much less availability of freshwater is predicted to contribute to better competitors for water sources, environmental teams have warned. Glacier retreat additionally poses new catastrophe dangers.
China’s glaciers are positioned primarily within the west and north of the nation, within the areas of Tibet and Xinjiang, and the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai.
Data printed on March 21 on the web site of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, confirmed that China’s whole glacier area was round 46,000 sq. kilometres, with round 69,000 glaciers in 2020.
This compares to round 59,000 sq. kilometres and round 46,000 glaciers in China between 1960 and 1980, the examine confirmed.
To save its melting glaciers, China has used expertise together with snow blankets and synthetic snow techniques, to delay the melting course of.
The Tibetan plateau is called the world’s Third Pole for the quantity of ice lengthy locked within the high-altitude wilderness.
The dramatic ice loss, from the Arctic to the Alps, from South America to the Tibetan Plateau, is predicted to speed up as local weather change, brought about by the burning of fossil fuels, pushes international temperatures larger.
This would possible exacerbate financial, environmental and social issues the world over as sea ranges rise and these key water sources dwindle, the UNESCO report stated.
Published – March 26, 2025 03:17 pm IST
