Climate Justice for the Himalayas: Water, Lives and the Melting Glacier Crisis

Every year on 11 December, the world marks International Mountain Day (IMD) to recognize the importance of mountains and to encourage their protection. For Nepal, a country largely made up of mountains and home to the Himalayas—the world’s highest and youngest mountain range—this day is not just symbolic. It is a serious and urgent call for action, responsibility, and resilience.

The theme for 2025, ‘Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihood in mountains and beyond,’ highlights how important glaciers are for life. Glaciers provide water for drinking, farming, and energy, not only in mountain areas but also for people living far downstream. However, due to climate change, glaciers are melting rapidly, putting nature and human lives at risk. To address this growing crisis, the United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers Preservation.  This aims to raise awareness, strengthen scientific research, improve monitoring systems, and promote climate-friendly policies to protect glaciers.

For Nepal, mountains are not just landscapes—they are lifelines. They feed our rivers, support agriculture and hydropower, attract tourists, and shape our culture and traditions. But today, these vital foundations are changing fast, creating serious challenges for our future.

The effects of climate change in Nepal are no longer something of the future—they are happening now. Snowfall is decreasing, glaciers are melting faster, glacial lakes are growing, and rainfall has become irregular. Unseasonal floods and landslides are occurring more often. Rivers that once flowed steadily now either cause destructive floods or dry up during critical times. As a result, agriculture, hydropower, tourism, and everyday life are being seriously affected.

Even small rises in temperature have a strong impact on high mountain areas. They speed up glacier melting and increase the risk of disasters. Nepal has 1466 glacial lakes, and 21 of them are considered dangerous, posing serious threats to people and infrastructure downstream. Recent events show how real this danger is. Floods in the Khumbu region in August 2024 and along the Nepal-China boarder in July 2025 exposed the fragile condition of glaciers. These incidents highlight the growing risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GOLFs)—sudden and powerful floods that can destroy villages, roads, bridges, trekking trails, and hydropower projects. Without urgent action, such risks are expected to increase.

Rainfall patterns in Nepal are changing. Long dry spells, unexpected winter rains, and sudden heavy downpours are becoming more frequent. The severe floods and landslides in October 2024 and 2025 in the Kathmandu Valley, the Terai, and eastern Nepal show how climate change is transforming the land and affecting people’s lives. These changes are connected to broader shifts in the South Asian monsoon, showing that what happens in the mountains has effects far beyond them.

International Mountain Day reminds us of the need for sustainable development, resilience, and fairness in mountain regions. For Nepal, this day should lead to real and long-term action.

Protecting Nepal’s mountains starts with strong science. This means regularly monitoring glaciers, closely watching dangerous glacial lakes, and keeping clear data on temperature, rainfall, river flow, and ice loss. Nepal should work closely with international scientists and combine modern technology with local knowledge. Early warning systems for glacial lake floods and landslides must be expanded and linked to local communities so people can prepare and stay safe.

Nepal’s roads, bridges, and trails must be built to withstand extreme weather and natural disasters. Flood- and landslide-resistant infrastructure, stronger early warning systems, and relocating communities from high-risk areas, when necessary, will help reduce damage and save lives in the long run.

Tourism is vital to Nepal’s economy, especially in mountain regions, but poorly managed tourism is putting pressure on fragile ecosystems. To balance economic benefits with environmental protection, Nepal must promote green and sustainable tourism. This includes using renewable energy such as solar and micro-hydropower, adopting energy-efficient technologies in hotels and lodges, encouraging low-carbon transport, reducing single-use plastics, and improving waste management through clean-ups, recycling, and reuse along trekking routes.

Green tourism should also support local communities by promoting homestays, community-run lodges, local food, handicrafts, and cultural traditions. In this way, tourism can protect Nepal’s natural beauty while creating sustainable livelihoods and fostering inclusive, responsible development.

Mountain communities are the most affected by climate change, but they are also key to finding solutions. Their traditional knowledge should be combined with modern science. Training in climate adaptation, especially for women and young people, promoting climate-smart farming, and creating new job opportunities can strengthen communities and reduce forced migration.

Nepal contributes very little to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it faces serious climate impacts. This highlights the need for climate justice—greater support from international climate funds, fair financing, and shared responsibility among all nations to protect vulnerable mountain regions.

All three levels of government in Nepal—federal, provincial, and local—are taking important steps to protect mountains and adapt to climate change. Through national plans like the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Nepal is working on climate risk studies, early warning systems, glacier monitoring, and climate-friendly development planning. Provincial governments, including Gandaki Province, are also promoting sustainable tourism, environmental protection, safer human settlements, renewable energy, and green tourism practices. These efforts are helping to strengthen the resilience of mountain areas.

However, experts stress that these challenges cannot be solved by governments alone. Strong cooperation among governments, local communities, scientists, the private sector, and international partners is essential to effectively protect and sustain mountain regions.

International Mountain Day should be more than just a ceremonial occasion.

For Nepal, it is a global warning. The Himalayas are facing serious threats: glaciers are melting faster than ever, glacial lakes are becoming increasingly dangerous, and extreme weather is affecting water supply, agriculture, tourism, and people’s lives.

Nepal has long been a strong voice in international discussions, highlighting the devastating impacts of climate change on mountains. The Mountain Festival celebrated every year on International Mountain Day—such as the 10th Mountain Festival in Pokhara—should not only showcase mountain culture and natural beauty but also demand urgent climate action and justice for mountain regions on the global stage.

Protecting mountain areas is not just a national concern—it is a global necessity. If the Himalayas are not safeguarded, South Asia’s rivers and the lives of millions downstream will be at serious risk. Mountain conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development must go hand in hand. The responsibility does not lie with governments alone; it is a duty shared by all humanity. Only when the mountains are secure can our collective future be safe.

Baral is a freelance writer specializing in education, information technology, civic issues, and social empowerment.