China's Glacial Area Shrinks 26% In 60 Years, 7,000 Glaciers Disappear

China is staring at a water crisis in the mid-to-long term after the latest climate data showed a rapidly depleting glacial count. As many as 7,000 glaciers have disappeared completely, with the pace of glacial retreat accelerating year-on-year.

Most of the glaciers are found in regions administered by China - in Tibet and Xinjiang. Some are also located in the provinces of Yunnan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan.

Data published last week by China's Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, showed a total glacial cover of 46,000 square kilometres, with around 46,000 glaciers.

This compared to to more than 59,000 square kilometres and around 69,000 glaciers in China between 1960 and 1980, the research said.

In recent years, China has tried implementing various methods to slow down or delay the melting of glaciers. These include using artificial snow systems, usage of snow blankets, and other kinds of technology to shield the glaciers.

The Tibetan plateau is widely known by the scientific and environmental community as the world's Third Pole because of the magnitude of ice and snow, long locked in the high-altitude Himalayan wilderness.

But with record levels of ice melt and glacial disappearances in the Himalayan glacier count in Tibet and Hindu Kush glacier count in Xinjiang, there will be much lesser availability of freshwater in the regions.

Environmental groups have warned of severe water crises, leading to unprecedented levels of competition for freshwater. Besides this, they have also cautioned about the risk of climate disasters like avalanches, frequent landslides, and earthquakes.

"Glaciers around the globe are disappearing faster than ever, with the largest glacial mass loss on record taking place in the last three years," a UNESCO report has stated.

"The dramatic ice loss, from the Arctic to the Alps, from South America to the Tibetan Plateau, is expected to intensify and accelerate as climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, pushes global temperatures higher. This would likely exacerbate economic, environmental, and social problems across the world as sea levels rise and these key water sources dwindle," the UNESCO report noted.

(Inputs from Reuters)