Report: Himalayan glaciers melting 65% faster, threatening India's water and economy
Systemiq-led study, released after floods killed over 1,300 in Nepal and Tibet, warns of expanding glacial lake risks and a huge monitoring gap.
What to know
- Himalayan glaciers are now losing mass 65% faster than a decade ago, yet only about 21 of an estimated 40,000 glaciers are closely monitored.
- The report follows floods in Nepal and Tibet that killed more than 1,300 people, and past glacial lake outburst disasters in Sikkim (2023) and Uttarakhand (2021).
- Himalayan water is estimated to underpin about 20% of India's GDP, but mountain states capture only around 5% of that value.
- India has classified 56 glacial lakes as 'very high risk' following a 2025 assessment, with the Central Water Commission monitoring 2,485 larger glacial lakes.
“Unlike the Arctic or Antarctic, this pole has hundreds of millions of people living beneath it.”
Lord Nicholas Stern, Economist, LSE Grantham Research Institute · BBC News ↗ · Sep 12
Lord Nicholas Stern Economist, chair of Grantham Research Institute, LSESystemiq Global consultancy, report authorICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) Technical contributor to the reportGovernment of India National government
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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Floods in Nepal and Tibet kill more than 1,300 people — Devastating floods struck Nepal and Tibet, killing more than 1,300 people and causing widespread destruction, setting the backdrop for the new glacier report.
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Economist Stern warns Himalayan system nearing a tipping point
Economist Lord Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, described the Himalayas as the 'Third Pole' sustaining hundreds of millions of people and warned the ecological system underpinning it is approaching a tipping point.
“The Himalayas are the Third Pole…”
— Lord Nicholas Stern -
first by BBC Asia, 10d ago · also BBC, BBC Science
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We now know how deadly a collapse of a glacier can be. Yet we continue to let fossil fuel companies finance political parties and back deadly drill baby drill politics
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Disasters like what has happened in Nepal "do not respect national borders, and no single country can address them alone". When it comes to climate action, we need all nations to take part - especially the ones that contribute to carbon emissions the most. https://www. bbc.com/news/articles/crm9ezvw jpno
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Climate change knows no borders. The Himalayas are melting faster – and India's economy is at risk
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Systemiq report finds Himalayan glaciers melting 65% faster — The report, produced with the Integrated Mountain Initiative and technical contributions from ICIMOD and GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, finds glaciers losing mass 65% faster than a decade ago while only about 21 of an estimated 40,000 Himalaya-Karakoram glaciers are monitored in detail; it also attributes roughly a third of glacier melt to black carbon largely from brick kilns.
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India classifies 56 glacial lakes as 'very high risk' — India's government told parliament that 56 glacial lakes had been classified 'very high risk' following a 2025 scientific assessment of 189 high-risk lakes; the Central Water Commission said it is monitoring 2,485 glacial lakes larger than 10 hectares.
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Sikkim glacial lake outburst kills at least 70 — A glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim triggered a flash flood that killed at least 70 people and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges and hydropower projects.
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Glacial lake outburst flood devastates Uttarakhand — A glacial lake outburst flood swept through the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga valleys in Uttarakhand, killing more than 200 people and destroying infrastructure.
What people are saying 5 voices from 2 sites · best of 8 · verbatim
- Sep 14
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《"The Himalayas are the Third Pole," said economist Lord Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. "Unlike the Arctic or Antarctic, this pole has hundreds of millions of people living beneath it."》 《The Systemiq research estimates that roughly a third of…
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The Himalayas are approaching a dangerous tipping point. ️Accelerating glacier melt threatens millions of lives and 20% of India's economy, a new report warns. Full details here. https:// english.mathrubhumi.com/news/i ndia/himalayan-glaciers-melting-65-faster-putting-20-of-indias-gdp-at-risk-report-ndhifwwb?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon…
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Oh no, not the economy! Why won't somebody do something.... Nepal floods: The Himalayas are melting faster - and India's economy is 'at risk' https://www. bbc.com/news/articles/crm9ezvw jpno # climatecrisis
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#BBCNews - The Himalayas are melting faster - and India's economy is 'at risk'
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# BBCNews - The Himalayas are melting faster - and India's economy is 'at risk' https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm9ez vwjpno