The world's highest peaks are located in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges, part of a vast mountain belt stretching across Asia. But beneath their grandeur lie some of the planet's most fragile ecosystems.
As temperatures continue to rise, glaciers are melting faster, increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods and disrupting the natural flow of meltwater. As glaciers shrink, less water is released in spring and summer, when communities need it the most.
