Islamabad: Pakistan has called for stronger international commitments to address rapid decline of Himalayan-Karakoram-Hindukush cryosphere. The call was made by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik in a video message at an event on the sidelines of UN Climate Change Conference in Bel©m, Brazil.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Minister for Climate Change described the HKH range as the white rooftops of the world and a lifeline for millions in South Asia. He highlighted that Pakistan is home to around 13,000 glaciers that feed the Indus River system and underpin the nation’s food security, economy, and ecosystems.

Dr. Musadik Malik emphasized that climate-driven glacier melt is proceeding at an unprecedented pace, leading to increasing hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods. He urged countries with historic emissions responsibility to support adaptation efforts in vulnerable mountain regions and called for the cryosphere agenda to be elevated at COP30.