Himalayan glaciers losing mass 65% faster than decade ago: Report
What's the story
The Himalayas are melting at an alarming rate, with glaciers losing mass 65% faster than a decade ago. The findings come from a report by global consultancy Systemiq in collaboration with the Integrated Mountain Initiative and technical support from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment. The report highlights a major monitoring gap, with only about 21 out of an estimated 40,000 glaciers being monitored in detail.
Disaster risk
Himalayan region's vulnerability to natural disasters
The report also highlights the Himalayan region's vulnerability to natural disasters.
Although only 18% of Indian land is in the Himalayas, it accounts for approximately 35% of disasters.
The Indian government has identified 56 glacial lakes as "very high risk" after a 2025 study of high-risk lakes in the Indian Himalayan region.
The Himalayas are crucial for South Asia's rivers, with the new research estimating that Himalayan water supports about 20% of India's GDP.
Economic risk
Economic impact of glacier melt
However, only around 5% of this value is captured by mountain states.
Speaking to the BBC, economist Lord Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, stated that "the Himalayas are the Third Pole," adding, "Unlike the Arctic or Antarctic, this pole has hundreds of millions of people living beneath it."
He also warned that its ecological system is "approaching a tipping point."
Previous disasters
Disasters in the Himalayas
In 2023, a flood caused by a glacial lake outburst in Sikkim resulted in the deaths of at least 70 individuals and inflicted extensive damage on roads, bridges, and hydropower facilities.
In 2021, a comparable disaster occurred in Uttarakhand, leading to the loss of over 200 lives when a severe flood rushed through the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys.
Pollution impact
Black carbon and glacier melt
The report also highlights the role of black carbon in accelerating glacier melt. Around a third of Himalayan glacier loss is attributed to black carbon, mainly from brick kilns in the plains.
Unlike greenhouse gas emissions, whose source may be global, India and its neighbors can directly control black carbon pollution.
The report calls for 10 priority transitions, including reducing black carbon emissions and improving disaster preparedness through pre-agreed government action plans.
Cooperative efforts
Rethinking tourism in the Indian Himalayan region
The report also stresses the need to rethink tourism in the Indian Himalayan region, which sees around 400 million tourist visits annually. It suggests shifting focus from maximizing visitor numbers to generating locally retained and reinvested value.
ICIMOD director general Pema Gyamtsho emphasized that risks are becoming more complex with glaciers retreating and permafrost becoming unstable.
He said these hazards "do not respect national borders," necessitating cross-border cooperation in monitoring, risk information sharing, early-warning systems, and joint investment in resilience.