New fact sheets confirm Asia’s double vulnerability to cryosphere change, and its unique position to act.

Kathmandu – A new 13 part guide, ‘Stop The Melt’ sets out the implications of fast vanishing mountain glaciers and rapid losses to ice sheets, permafrost and sea ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic for Asia, and action needed to slow down sea level rise and preserve freshwater ice banks.

Over 14 trillion tonnes of ice have been lost in the last 30 years, meaning the loss, on average, of over 50 million tonnes of ice every hour for the last 30 years from our mountains and polar regions, states the new resource, which was produced by Hong Kong think-tank China Water Risk, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), Chinese National Committee for International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (CNC-IACS), the Institute of Geographic Sciences & Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR-CAS) to tie in with the UN’s first World Glacier Day.

The reports state that Asia is especially vulnerable to losses of snow and ice – in terms of sea level rise impacts on major coastal settlements and in terms of economic fall-out from losses to water supplies to the major river basins that are key drivers of the region’s economies. It also states that Asia is in a unique position to act to preserve glaciers,

Globally, Asia is the continent that is most vulnerable to rising seas and more ice sheet losses plus ocean warming could unleash rapid sea level rise. The rate of sea level rise has already doubled in the last 30 years and is set to rise further – 1m is now possible by 2070 if high emissions continue. Even at this level, rising seas will redraw coastlines, impact at least 200 million Asians, sink low-lying coastal capitals and disrupt global trade.

“The costs and uncertainties to the business sector should our current carbon emissions continue will be enormous, and largely irreversible. We are rapidly moving beyond the limits of adaptation for those economic activities reliant on stable coastlines, or on water supplies from mountain regions where glacier and snowpack run-off provide a needed buffer” warned Pam Pearson, the Director of ICCI. “We really need to dial back emissions this decade, before 2030. If we do not, then keeping CO2 levels and temperatures close to 1.5°C becomes essentially impossible. We hope the factsheets help stakeholders understand that 2°C is too hot for ice and that overshoot to 2°C will result in huge economic impacts from extensive ice loss; even at 1.5°C, ice is in the danger zone” said Pearson.

The factsheets confirm vanishing ice and record low snowfall in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) are concerning for water supply as these are key components of river flow. The Himalayan Water Towers are the source region for 10 mighty rivers in Asia including the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze & Yellow Rivers. Not only do one in two Asians live in in these 10 river basins, but these basins are also economic powerhouses with over 280 large cities and 865GW of power assets. “We must act to decarbonise fast if we are to preserve our precious glaciers,” stated Pema Gyamtsho Director General of ICIMOD.

“The Hindu Kush Himalaya is especially sensitive to these changes as accelerated melting is leading to sudden destructive events such as glacial lake outburst floods. But glacial melt is only one part of the problem – reduced snow cover and permafrost thaw are less visible, but add onto the uncertainties being faced by people in the river basins.” said Qianggong Zhang, Head of Climate and Environmental Risks at ICIMOD.

“The International Year of Glacier Preservation provides an opportunity for Asia to act,” urged Tan. “We can and must – we can because with over 50% of global greenhouse gas emission Asia can deliver deep decarbonisation this decade; and we must because Asia is the region most vulnerable to ice losses. We’re still developing, and this puts Asia in a unique position to leapfrog ahead on transition as well as step up adaptation action to match escalating risks.”

Professor Shichang Kang, a leading cryosphere expert and the Chair of CNC-IACS, he highlighted that “the time window for protecting glaciers is narrowing. We must work together to cut carbon and reduce emissions. We must act now.”

Professor Shaofeng Jia, from IGSNRR-CAS also said “changes in our cryosphere impact water resources and knowledge of this must be shared across multiple disciplines so that integrated & innovative action can be realised. We must focus to this pressing challenge and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.”

DOWNLOAD THE FACTSHEET HERE

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