A Natural Climate change study named “Peak glacier extinction in the mid-twenty-first Century” predicts that between 2041 and 2055, nearly 4000 glaciers will disappear annually. Under +1.5°C, global peak glacier extinction is projected to reach approximately 2,000 glaciers per year around 2041. However, under +4.0°C, this peak shifts to the mid-2050s and intensifies to ~4,000 per year. Reader should look into detail of study here https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02513-9 The Himalayas, which host around one-third of all glaciers globally, will face a distinct mid-century peak in glacier extinction due to the predominance of glaciers with intermediate sizes. North India can face serious challenges if the Himalaya Glacier disappears, as millions of people depend upon it for agriculture, water, and livelihood.
Problem may complicated , wider reason of Problems
The beginning of 2026 is already alarming, with six consecutive snowless Decembers in Himalayan states. The mountains stand blank, losing their charms, and rivers are looking like small water channels. By 2047, when India’s population will be at its peak, India has set a target of Viksit Bharat.
However, challenges are more complex, as India has suspended the Indus Treaty after nearly 80 years, and China is building a large dam on the Brahmaputra basin.
Himachal Pradesh, with nearly 3000 glaciers, is aggressively pushing small hydro projects across the Himalayas. Small hydro projects are more environmentally hazardous than large ones, as they require clearing large forests and cutting down mountains to harvest only 2 to 5 MW. Rapid urbanization, highway building, tourism, industries, etc., are already creating havoc in the state. (Power Projects of Himachal Pradesh, up to 2025.)
Precipitation in winter is less than average, while in monsoon it is higher than average. The State Government has a limited policy framework to deal with upcoming challenges and limited capacity to address these issues due to state finance constraints.
What steps Govt Need to take
Ways forward include regulating urbanization, holding mega projects in sensitive Himalayan zones, avoiding investment in small hydro projects, implementing effective tourism regulations, checking forest fires that can intensify as moisture decreases, bringing changes in lifestyle, and ensuring that the government does not allow individual industrialist motives to impact decision-making.Finally problem can not be solved until, Climate change become the dominant topic of public discourse.
