Almost 2 billion lives in South Asia at risk from rising snow and glacier melt: report

The risks are aggravated by black carbon pollution, which could curb water supply from many rivers flowing through the Himalayan plains

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Snow and glacier melt across the Himalayas has been accelerating, aggravated by black carbon pollution. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:46pm, 2 Jun 2025Updated: 3:43pm, 3 Jun 2025

The lives of nearly 2 billion people in South Asia are at risk as snow and glacier melt across the Himalayas accelerates, aggravated by black carbon pollution from burning biomass and fossil fuels and unsustainable farming, climate experts have warned.

Also known as soot, black carbon darkens snow surfaces and absorbs sunlight, causing it to act like a heat lamp and hasten melting. The fine particulate pollutant is typically released during the combustion of organic matter such as wood, crop residues and diesel.

With the largest ice reserves outside the polar regions, the Himalayas are the main source of water for many rivers flowing through the densely populated Indo-Gangetic plains. But this critical function is at risk from rising black carbon emissions and climate change.

The rivers nourish fertile agricultural zones across the Indian subcontinent – the world’s largest rice-exporting region. They have also been the source of growing geopolitical tensions, including between India and Pakistan.

Average snow surface temperatures in the Himalayan peaks have risen by more than 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 Fahrenheit), with black carbon a key contributor, according to a report by New Delhi-based think tank Climate Trends released on Friday. It warned that the impact of these emissions was worsened by deforestation, crop burning and poor land management.

More than 40 per cent of India’s black carbon emissions come from biofuels, according to the report, with significant contributions from large states such as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where agricultural and forest fires are common. Emissions have also been recorded at high levels in the eastern Himalayas, particularly in Nepal.

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