India, Feb. 23 -- A study published recently in Nature underlines a rapid acceleration in the melting of glaciers, with 36% higher ice loss between 2012 and 2023 than what occurred between 2000 and 2011. The loss varies between regions, with the European ranges recording the worst showing, but there have been portents of the problem intensifying elsewhere, too. Last year, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development pointed out large losses in the glaciers of two ranges in Asia, among which are the sources of 10 major rivers, including the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

Accelerated glacial melting is not merely another indicator of the deepening climate crisis but a full-fledged emergency; along with the melting of the polar ...