UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS — With asian glaciers facing a massive melt by the end of the century, millions of people are at risk of water shortages — and it's all thanks to global warming. <br /> <br />According to the World Wildlife Fund, the high mountains of Asia lie in a region surrounding the Tibetan plateau, and contains the largest store of permanent ice outside the North and South poles. <br /> <br />Meltwater feeds into major rivers like the Indus, Yangtze, and Mekong and are used for drinking, hydroelectric power, and irrigation. <br /> <br />Reuters reports that researchers from Utrecht University predict that Asian high mountain glaciers will lose a third of their mass by 2100 if the global temperature rises 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If temperatures increase 3.5, 4, or 6 degrees, losses could reach 49, 51, and 65%, respectively. <br /> <br />Glacial loss could affect the region's water supply and lead to shortages. At the same time, accelerated melting could trigger intense flooding, especially when combined with climate change-induced heavy rains and super typhoons. <br /> <br />High-warming scenarios carry worse consequences, including massive sea-level rise, floods, droughts, loss of species, and even disease. <br /> <br />The only way to avoid such a dismal future is by minimizing global temperature rise, and for that, we need to double, even triple efforts to combat climate change.
