Climate change may cause the glaciers of the Himalayans to recede at a much higher rate than anyone could have anticipated, warn both Indian and foreign environment experts. They say that continuous carbon emissions in the atmosphere cause increased temperatures, which, in turn, force glaciers to recede at very high speeds. The report also says that some 70 percent of all glaciers in the mountain range are starting to retreat, and that, if the trend continues, most of them could be gone by 2035.
 

The "Water Towers of Asia," as the range was named, hold huge amounts of ice all year-around, plus extra snow during the winter. They fuel the three greatest rivers in Asia, namely the Indus, Ganga and the Barahmaputra. In addition to these three, the glaciers also fuel a number of smaller ones, including Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huang Ho.
 

Worldwide, glaciers hold most of Earth's fresh water reserves, which makes them indispensable to human existence. Considering the fact that Himalayan glaciers are the largest spreads of ice after the polar caps, it's easy to see how a reduction in their levels could adversely affect countless millions of people, living near rivers fueled from the glaciers.
 

During the dry season, glaciers supply the vast majority of water to these water flows, and any reduction in these levels could jeopardize crops along their courses. This could raise significant food security problems throughout the region, with potential catastrophic implications for the stability of the area.
 

The Indian government urged the international community to take immediate action in reducing global climate change, which is the main cause for these changes in the natural balance of the Himalayan glaciers. Authorities say that only swift action can prevent the ice from melting within 3 to 4 decades. Carbon emissions, the main culprit behind global warming, must be cut in half or even more in the next couple of decades, international specialists also caution.