At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw this century as temperatures rise, scientists said on Monday. “This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester, who led the report. The report, by 210 authors, said that more than a third of the ice in the region will melt by 2100 even if governments take tough action to limit global warming under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Two-thirds of the ice could vanish if governments fail to rein in greenhouse gas emissions this century. Ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region would push up sea levels by 1.5 metres if it all melted, according to Eklabya Sharma, deputy director general of the centre.

Source: The Irish Times February 04, 2019 16:07 UTC