Fears of glaciers vanishing exaggerated, says Cato Institute study

Fears of global warming rapidly melting Himalayan glaciers that feed major river basins in India are unfounded, according to a paper published by the US-based think tank Cato Institute on Tuesday.

The report titled False Alarm over the Retreat of the Himalayan Glaciers, co-authored by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar and Vijay K Raina, says that the importance of glacial melt in river flows has been grossly exaggerated.

In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report that said, “Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high.”