Are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Himalayan glaciers are melting more rapidly as global temperatures rise, raising concerns about the future of ecosystems and communities across the Himalayan mountain range. Glaciers store more than two thirds of the world’s freshwater and help regulate global temperatures by reflecting the sun’s rays.
Across South Asia, melting ice is contributing to the formation of unstable glacial lakes and increasing the risks of floods, droughts and avalanches. The Himalayas are a vital source of water for millions of people, supporting agriculture, energy production and livelihoods from tourism.
Experts warn that continued glacier loss could have significant consequences for people living in the region and the mountainous ecosystem, but what can be done to respond to these changes?
Contributors: Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada Pam Pearson, director and founder of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, US Matthias Huss, glaciologist and senior scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland Alton Byers, faculty research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado, US
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researchers: Evie Yabsley and Amelia Cox Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Mitch Goodall Production Management: Phoebe Lomas and Liam Morrey
(Photo: Trekkers walk to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Credit: Kriangkrai Thitimakorn/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.6 | Welcome to the inquiry from the BBC World Service with me, Tanya Beckett. |
| 0:10.7 | One question, four expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:25.2 | Glaciers are fundamental to our existence on earth. They store more than two-thirds of the world's fresh water |
| 0:29.1 | and are essential to the lives of two billion people worldwide. |
| 0:34.2 | They also help regulate global temperatures by reflecting the rays of the sun. |
| 0:39.7 | But climate change is causing them to melt away, leading to water shortages, floods and the loss of biodiversity. |
| 0:49.0 | Nowhere is the havoc caused by melting glaciers more evident than in South Asia in the Himalayas. |
| 1:01.0 | Here, melting ice is resulting in the formation of thousands of high-altitude lakes |
| 1:06.8 | and the uncamping of fault lines, leading to higher risks of not just drought and floods, but also avalanches, even earthquakes. |
| 1:16.8 | We've seen people dead and more than 100 missing after a glacial lake burst. It's triggered flash floods in northeastern India. |
| 1:23.9 | In October 2023, a massive flood in India's Himalayan region was triggered by a glacial ice and rock avalanche, causing more than 50 deaths. |
| 1:35.9 | It also destroyed multiple bridges and a hydropower plant. |
| 1:41.7 | This week on the inquiry, we're asking, are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point? |
| 1:51.1 | Part 1. The Sherpas |
| 1:53.1 | The Himalayas are the highest and one of the largest mountain systems in the world, covering a land area |
| 2:03.2 | similar to the size of the whole of France. They cross several borders spanning India, Nepal, |
| 2:10.4 | Bhutan, Pakistan and China, including what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region. |
| 2:17.6 | The Himalayas are home to no fewer than 10 of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres. |
| 2:25.3 | They are, of course, home to the highest in the world, Mount Everest, |
| 2:29.2 | which looms at over 8,800 metres. |
| 2:33.8 | The vast quantity of ice in this high altitude terrain falls at over 8,800 metres. |
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