Was reading about the receeding glaciers in Himalayan Mountains (see article below).
But lets not forget about glaciers in Tibet. Chinese are sensitive about the Dalai Lama issue because not only is Tibet part of China, but Tibet is major source of drinking water for the Chinese. Tibet is the source of Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, Brahmaputra Rivers. And the Chinese control this source (never knew this - guess my Geography class did not sink in).
This secures water for the nation. Controlling the source also means both Indus River (where the name India comes from) and Brahmaputra, two major rivers in India, and its water flow are controlled by the Chinese. Not a good strategic situation at all for India especially since India is still very much an agricultural economy and dependent upon the weather (recent late monsoon knocked a few percentage points off the GDP and added a few percentage points to its huge budget deficit).
Meanwhile another major river Ganges (2 of its tributaries come from Tibet) gets its water from the Himalayas and as article mentioned, glaciers may dissappear in 20 years, hence shortage of water there.
We often hear US mentioned national interest. Well when water supplies runs low in 20 years, lots of national interest will come into play and the country controlling the tap is in a better position.
CNN) -- The glaciers in the Himalayas are receding quicker than those in other parts of the world and could disappear altogether by 2035 according to the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
In retreat: the roof of the world is experiencing rapid summer melting.
The result of this deglaciation could be conflict as Himalayan glacial runoff has an essential role in the economies, agriculture and even religions of the regions countries.
The Himalayan glaciers form the world's largest ice body outside of the polar caps. Popularly known as the "Water Tower of Asia," they are the source of water for rivers that flow across the continent: the Indus River in Pakistan, the Brahmaputra that flows through Bangladesh, the Mekong that descends through Southeast Asia, the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers of China and a multitude of smaller rivers that flow through the Indo-Gangetic plains of Northern India.
Satellite data from the Indian Space Applications Center, in Ahmedabad, India, indicates that from 1962 to 2004, more than 1,000 Himalayan glaciers have retreated by around 16 percent. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's glaciers have shrunk by 5 percent since 1950s.
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Dr. Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist, physicist and leader in the International Forum on Globalization, has just returned from a "Climate Yatra," a research journey to the Himalayas to study the impact of climate change and the glacial melt upon communities in Asia.
"Himalayan rivers support nearly half of humanity," Dr. Shiva told CNN. "Everyone who depends on water from the Himalayas will be affected."
One area of increasing concern for Shiva is flooding. "In Ladakh villages have already been washed away due to flash floods," she said.
The situation has exacerbated the occurrence of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). Impacts include loss of lives, domestic property, cultivable land, mountain infrastructure downstream, forced migration and long-term secondary environmental degradation.
But lets not forget about glaciers in Tibet. Chinese are sensitive about the Dalai Lama issue because not only is Tibet part of China, but Tibet is major source of drinking water for the Chinese. Tibet is the source of Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, Brahmaputra Rivers. And the Chinese control this source (never knew this - guess my Geography class did not sink in).
This secures water for the nation. Controlling the source also means both Indus River (where the name India comes from) and Brahmaputra, two major rivers in India, and its water flow are controlled by the Chinese. Not a good strategic situation at all for India especially since India is still very much an agricultural economy and dependent upon the weather (recent late monsoon knocked a few percentage points off the GDP and added a few percentage points to its huge budget deficit).
Meanwhile another major river Ganges (2 of its tributaries come from Tibet) gets its water from the Himalayas and as article mentioned, glaciers may dissappear in 20 years, hence shortage of water there.
We often hear US mentioned national interest. Well when water supplies runs low in 20 years, lots of national interest will come into play and the country controlling the tap is in a better position.
CNN) -- The glaciers in the Himalayas are receding quicker than those in other parts of the world and could disappear altogether by 2035 according to the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
In retreat: the roof of the world is experiencing rapid summer melting.
The result of this deglaciation could be conflict as Himalayan glacial runoff has an essential role in the economies, agriculture and even religions of the regions countries.
The Himalayan glaciers form the world's largest ice body outside of the polar caps. Popularly known as the "Water Tower of Asia," they are the source of water for rivers that flow across the continent: the Indus River in Pakistan, the Brahmaputra that flows through Bangladesh, the Mekong that descends through Southeast Asia, the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers of China and a multitude of smaller rivers that flow through the Indo-Gangetic plains of Northern India.
Satellite data from the Indian Space Applications Center, in Ahmedabad, India, indicates that from 1962 to 2004, more than 1,000 Himalayan glaciers have retreated by around 16 percent. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's glaciers have shrunk by 5 percent since 1950s.
Don't Miss
Special: Going Green
Risky business: insuring against climate change
Greenland's frozen landscape heating up
Dr. Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist, physicist and leader in the International Forum on Globalization, has just returned from a "Climate Yatra," a research journey to the Himalayas to study the impact of climate change and the glacial melt upon communities in Asia.
"Himalayan rivers support nearly half of humanity," Dr. Shiva told CNN. "Everyone who depends on water from the Himalayas will be affected."
One area of increasing concern for Shiva is flooding. "In Ladakh villages have already been washed away due to flash floods," she said.
The situation has exacerbated the occurrence of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). Impacts include loss of lives, domestic property, cultivable land, mountain infrastructure downstream, forced migration and long-term secondary environmental degradation.
