The dire climate warning comes amid concerns the world’s largest supplies of mountainous freshwater could disappear by 2100. A study published this week (December 9) in the journal Nature has found 78 of the world’s mountain water towers are incredibly vulnerable to the effects of global warming and climate change. These water towers represent reservoirs of freshwater locked away in high altitude snow, glaciers and mountain lakes.
Approximately 1.9 billion people around the globe rely on downstream runoffs from mountains for drinking water and crop irrigation.
But a glaciologist who participated in the international study believes a lack of political decisiveness from the world’s ruling elite could condemn vulnerable communities worldwide to needless suffering.
Dr Bethan Davies from Royal Holloway, University of London, told Express.co.uk the climate emergency needs to be addressed before it is too late.
She said: “Huge numbers of people in India and southeast Asia but also people in Europe are relying on these mountain water towers to support their irrigation, to support their industry to support their domestic use.”
The study brought together 32 climate experts from around the globe with the work led by researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
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The researchers identified 78 key water towers across North America, South America, Asia and even Europe.
Here in Europe, the loss of water towers will have a devastating impact on the Rhone in France, the Rhine in Germany, as well as the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and the Caspian Sea Coast.
Dr Davies said: “It’s not somewhere we would think of that might be threatened by water shortages.
“But the Rhine and places like that rely on water for power and industry, so they will be sorely affected.”
The expert added: “The places are strongly needing these mountain regions that are important for providing water to France, Germany, Spain.”
But Dr Davies fears the biggest effect will be felt by communities in Asia that rely on the freshwater of the Indus river, which cuts across the Tibetan Plateau through India and Pakistan.
The Indus is one of the longest rivers in Asia and is fed by water runoffs from the Himalayas and surrounding mountain chains.
This is not enough, we need strong political action
Dr Bethan Davies,Royal Holloway, University of London
The glaciologist said: “The water tower that we identify as being most important in terms of supply and demand, is the Indus in the Himalaya and Karakoram because they have a high supply, there’s a lot of water being produced by this mountain range and there is also a high demand of this water.
“We also argue that is threatened because the Indus crosses several countries and geopolitical units.
“They are already quite tense relationships between Pakistan and India, and also it is an area projected to have an increase in GDP, which will increase industry and agriculture but also population, so demand will increase.
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“These are areas that are very vulnerable, not only to climate change but also to increasing demands on these water towers.”
In a bid to prevent this future, Dr Davies said it is vital to keep global warming at bay by limiting it to just 1.5C (2.7F) degrees of pre-industrial levels.
But based on recent projections it appears as though the planet is headed towards this level of warming in the next 20 years.
Limiting global warming to just 1.5C (2.7F) degrees could still help retain about 75 percent of the planet’s mountain glaciers.
Ignoring the temperature target, however, would see up to 80 percent of the planet’s water towers disappear by the end of the century.
Dr Davies said: “We need political action. Most of the carbon emissions come from the power industry for example, so we need in investment in renewable energy, investment in cars that need to be electric, electric trains, public transport so people drive less.
“All of these things require political action, so I don’t think you can expect people to do it by themselves.
“This is not enough, we need strong political action as well.“
One thing you can do to help, the expert added, is to vote for politicians and parties that have pledged to fight the tide of climate change.
Dr Davies said: “Vote according to the party that you think has the most realistic and sensible option for improving our climate.”
The study titled Importance and vulnerability of the world’s water towers was published on December 9 in the journal Nature.
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