Asian glaciers to shrink by 36% by 2100, reducing water supply
Mountain glaciers in Asia are warming more rapidly than the global average and will lose at least a third of their mass by the end of the century, according to research. If the world does not manage to restrict global warming to an average 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the loss will be even greater. The region surrounding the Tibetan plateau holds the largest store of frozen water outside of the poles. Large areas of China and south Asia depend on glacial meltwater for drinking water, electricity and irrigation.

Glaciers in the high mountains of Asia are a crucial water resource, but are at risk from global warming. Modelling suggests that the glaciers will shed mass in direct proportion to the warming to which they are exposed. See Letter p.257

The 2015 Paris climate agreement aspires to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century (see go.nature.com/2efxikg). Intensive work is under way to determine what return we would get for the formidable effort required to achieve this goal. On page 257, Kraaijenbrink et al.1 contribute to this work by modelling glaciers in the high mountains of Asia (HMA) and showing how these glaciers respond to different levels of warming. The authors demonstrate that even if the 1.5 °C target is met, about one-third of the present-day mass of HMA glaciers will be lost by the end of this century. The work could have major consequences for communities in the region that depend on glacial meltwater for domestic use, hydropower and irrigation.