HKH Glacier Outlook 2026 Warns of Water Insecurity and Flood Risks for 2 Billion People
78% of glacier area between 4,500-6,000 metres is at risk due to elevation-dependent warming.
Glaciers below 0.5 sq km shrink fastest.
50 years of monitoring shows 302 observations from 38 glaciers since 1974, with 270 negative mass-balance years and 12% area loss and 9% ice-reserve loss between 1990-2020.
ICIMOD urges action due to increased hazards from glacier retreat, citing the 2021 Chamoli disaster.
Only seven glaciers meet World Glacier Monitoring Service benchmarks, with monitoring gaps in Karakoram, Sikkim, Zanskar, and Bhutan.
Expanded efforts are needed during the Decade for Cryospheric Sciences on World Glacier Monitoring Day.