China's Glaciers Melting Faster Than Previously Thought

Glaciers in China are melting at nearly twice the rate predicted just seven years ago, according to a national survey detailed in the South China Morning Post.

Glaciers worldwide are receding, as a consequence of global warming. In China, as elsewhere, the apparently remote fact has potentially huge significance. Nearly one in three people in China rely on the seasonal melting (and cyclic re-freezing) of the glaciers for drinking water. If the glaciers disappear, the most populous nation in the world could face an unprecedented water crisis, particularly in the west, where glacially-fed rivers are the lifeblood of the region.

Since 1950, China has lost more than 7% of its glaciers, and at a rate equivalent to losing enough ice to cover Hong Kong island every year.

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