In the age of global warming, some fear ‘the entire Himalayas are melting’
A pair of disasters have occurred within a month of each other in the Himalayas, where scientists, climbers and trekkers have witnessed accelerating losses of snow and ice.
In a recent disaster near Langtang Lirung, a 23,734-foot peak in Nepal's border with Tibet, a 60-mile flood of water, mud, and debris claimed the lives of 579 people. The fatalities far exceed those reported, as many remain missing. Meanwhile, in Dorset, England, mourners gathered to remember Nirmal Purja, a renowned Nepali mountaineer.
Sherpa Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, a leading climber and founder of Imagine Nepal, headed the effort to recover Purja's body following an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range on July 30.
This series of disasters has occurred within a month of each other in the mountainous region stretching from Pakistan to Nepal. Scientists, climbers, and trekkers have observed a rapid decline in snow and ice in the area. For Nepal, the repercussions extend beyond the mountains, with tourism accounting for 6.1% of the country's economy and supporting about 1.2 million jobs in 2023, roughly 15% of all employment. In 2025, 165,056 international visitors cited trekking and mountaineering as their primary reason for visiting.
One of the industries benefiting from this growth is high-altitude climbing, with 1,195 climbers obtaining permits for 31 mountains this spring, generating $9 million in government royalties alone. Nearly 500 climbers received permits for Mount Everest, where the fee for a foreign climber now stands at $15,000.
Sherpa Mingma Sherpa, part of the same generation, has experienced the transformation firsthand. In 2004, he recalls navigating numerous crevasses on aluminum ladders during his first crossing of the Khumbu Icefall, an essential climbing route up Everest. Today, climbers need ladders in only two places. Dave Watson, a 50-year-old American mountaineer who has summited Mount Everest seven times, has observed the changing landscape. He notes that while some hazards have always existed, they are now manifesting in greater volume.
Sherpa Mingma Sherpa believes that global warming is threatening Nepal's livelihood, as Himalayan glaciers are losing about a meter of ice per year. He warns that the entire Himalayas are melting, not just Everest. The loss of snow and ice has led to increasing rockfall problems and a more unstable mountain environment.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
