In 2024 – the warmest year on record – the HKH region continued at the frontline of the climate crisis, with a severe decline in its cryosphere, and its communities enduring multiple devastating floods and landslides. Air pollution continued to burden the region, with already poor air quality deteriorating at an alarming rate. Highlights from our work in 2024 include:
Cryosphere and water
Providing data on glacier mass balance, hazards, the accelerating rates of cryosphere change and building awareness. We enhanced capacity for cryosphere science and analysis in our Regional Member Countries (RMCs), including on permafrost and glacier monitoring in Bhutan and Nepal, supported a Master’s programme in Nepal, and launched the HKH Women on Ice initiative, the HKH Snow Update report, and the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood database. ICIMOD was selected to lead the Global Task Force on International Workshops, Regional Meetings, and Capacity Building as part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Providing data on glacier mass balance, hazards, the accelerating rates of cryosphere change and building awareness. We enhanced capacity for cryosphere science and analysis in our Regional Member Countries (RMCs), including on permafrost and glacier monitoring in Bhutan and Nepal, supported a Master’s programme in Nepal, and launched the HKH Women on Ice initiative, the HKH Snow Update report, and the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood database. ICIMOD was selected to lead the Global Task Force on International Workshops, Regional Meetings, and Capacity Building as part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).
Air
Providing data on glacier mass balance, hazards, the accelerating rates of cryosphere change and building awareness. We enhanced capacity for cryosphere science and analysis in our Regional Member Countries (RMCs), including on permafrost and glacier monitoring in Bhutan and Nepal, supported a Master’s programme in Nepal, and launched the HKH Women on Ice initiative, the HKH Snow Update report, and the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood database. ICIMOD was selected to lead the Global Task Force on International Workshops, Regional Meetings, and Capacity Building as part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).
