- Black carbon (BC) deposits produced by human activity that accelerate glacier and snow melt in the Himalayan region can be sharply reduced through new, currently feasible policies, a new research by World Bank (WB) specialists has said.
- The research report from the WB covers the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges, where glaciers are melting faster than the global average ice mass.
- The rate of retreat of HKHK glaciers is estimated to be 0.3 metres per year in the west to 1.0 metre per year in the east.
- Full implementation of current policies to mitigate BC can achieve a 23% reduction but enacting new policies and incorporating them through regional cooperation among countries can achieve enhanced benefits.
