The Himalayas are melting due to rising heat, with 90 percent drying forecast

Due to human activities, the temperature of the world is continuously increasing. 2023 was the second warmest year on record. Experts have already said that climate change is no longer a thing of the future, it has become the present. It has become the biggest challenge for mankind. The Himalayas, known as the 'Third Pole', are bearing the brunt of this. Thousands of Himalayan glaciers have melted in the past few years and recent research has confirmed this. According to new research, the Himalayas are warming, if global warming increases by 3 degrees Celsius, about 90 percent of the Himalayas will remain dry for a year.

How can India reduce heat loss?

The report was published in the journal Climate Change. Researchers from UK's University of East Anglia led the team. After collecting eight studies, scientists have come to the conclusion that droughts, floods, reduced crop yields are responsible for increasing the level of global warming. These eight studies focused on India, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia and Ghana. According to this calculation, India can avoid 80 percent of the losses due to rising temperatures, but this will happen only if India properly adopts the Paris Agreement. What is the Paris Agreement? In fact, the agreement calls for efforts to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, thereby mitigating the effects of climate change.

What recommendations are made in the report?

The report found that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could save half of biodiversity. When trying to keep it at 3 degrees only 6 percent can be saved. According to the team, a 3°C increase in temperature would make agricultural land more vulnerable to drought. If this continues, more than 50 percent of the agricultural land in every country may face severe drought for one year to 30 years. Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would reduce the risk of drought on agricultural land by between 21 percent (India) and 61 percent (Ethiopia).

Along with this, the economic losses due to floods from the river will also be reduced. This occurs when rivers and streams burst their banks and water flows into nearby low-lying areas. The risk to humans from severe drought can also be reduced by 20-80 percent. The researchers warned that more efforts are needed to reduce global warming because policies currently in place globally are likely to result in a rise of 3 degrees Celsius.