As if the arctic melting was not enough to perhaps catch attention ... how about this?
Environmentalists are warning that the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas could spell disaster for millions of people living in the region.
They claim the situation is not being adequately monitored; the last studies having been done in the 1990s.
Swelling glacial lakes would increase the risk of catastrophic flooding.
In the long term, the glaciers could disappear altogether, causing several rivers to shrink and threatening the survival of those who depend on them.
"It is high time we did field studies to assess the situation or else a big natural catastrophe could hit us anytime," said Arun Bhakta Shrestha from Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
There are 3,300 glaciers in the Nepalese Himalayas and 2,300 of them contain glacial lakes. These lakes are quietly growing due to global warming, but no one is keeping a close eye on them.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3998967.stm
