The Chinese glacier area has decreased by 26% since 1960 due to rapid global warming, 7,000 small glaciers disappearing completely and the glacial retirement intensifying in recent years, showed official data published in March.
Glaciers around the world disappear faster than ever, the greatest loss of ice mass never recorded in the past three years, according to a UNESCO report.
While significant water chronometers continue to shrink, the less the availability of fresh water should contribute to greater competition for water resources, have warned environmental groups. Glacier Retreat also presents new disaster risks.
Chinese glaciers are located mainly in the west and north of the country, in the regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, and the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai.
The data published on March 21 on the website of the North West Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that the total Chinese glacier area was around 46,000 square kilometers, with around 69,000 glaciers in 2020.
This is compared to around 59,000 square kilometers and around 46,000 glaciers in China between 1960 and 1980, showed the study.
To save its melting glaciers, China has used technology, including snow covers and artificial snow systems, to delay the fusion process.
The Tibetan tray is known as the third world center for the quantity of ice enclosed in wilderness at high altitude.
The loss of dramatic ice, from the Arctic to the Alps, from South America to the Tibetan plateau, should accelerate as climate change, caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, pushes higher global temperatures.
This would probably exacerbate economic, environmental and social problems around the world as the sea level increases and these keywater sources decrease, according to the UNESCO report.
