Papers

1. Conservation of Water from the "Third Pole" (KTD Blog)
   "Only 2.5% of the water on this planet is fresh water; 70% of that freshwater is found in the poles, the North Pole and South Pole, and what we now call the 'third pole,' the glaciers in the Himalayan region. Most of the remaining 30% is found in groundwater in various parts of the planet. Only 0.3% is found in lakes and rivers. Now of this freshwater, 70% of our use of it is for agriculture, including irrigation; 22% is used in industry in various ways; and 8% is used domestically, which means personally. Now, that 8%, which is what we could call “the direct use of water '– what we usually think of when we think about our relationship with water — is used by us to drink, to cook and to wash.' " 04-14
   
   
2. The "Third Pole" Is Melting Fast (Time.com)
   "The high-altitude glaciers of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau — which cover parts of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and China — are the water tower of Asia. When the ice thaws and the snow melts every spring, the glaciers birth the great rivers of the region, the mightiest river system in the world: the Ganges, the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Mekong, the Yellow, the Yangtze. Together, these rivers give material and spiritual sustenance to 3 billion people, nearly half of the world's population — and all are nursed by Himalayan ice."
   
   "Regardless of the impact of climate change, there is a widening gap between water supplies and needs. In fact, a new report from the international consulting group McKinsey & Co. estimates that by 2030, India alone will have only 50% of the water that it needs under a business-as-usual scenario. Nor is Asia the only region that will grapple with water scarcity in a warmer world: the McKinsey report estimates that the globe will have 40% less water than it needs by 2030 if nothing is done to change current consumption patterns."
   
   "This year Chinese researchers projected a 43% decrease in glaciated area by 2070. If that happens, the impact could be catastrophic." 04-14
   
   
3. Third Ice Pole Is Melting (ThinkProgress)
   "Research published by the Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development in 2011 also confirmed that the Himalayan glaciers had shrunk by 21 percent over just 30 years, as a report in Forbes points out." 04-14
   
   

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