India has once again reiterated its firm commitment to climate resilience and glacier preservation during the High-Level International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, held from 29th to 31st May 2025 in Dushanbe. Representing India at the conference, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, addressed the plenary session and emphasized the urgent need for collective global action to address glacial retreat.
Glaciers: A Critical Climate Indicator
In his address, Shri Singh warned that the retreat of glaciers is no longer a future threat but a present reality with serious implications for water security, biodiversity, and livelihoods across the world, particularly in mountainous regions like the Himalayas.
He highlighted the disproportionate impacts of glacial retreat on developing and mountainous nations, reinforcing India’s deep concern as a nation intrinsically linked to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
India’s Strategic Climate Initiatives
Shri Singh outlined key steps India is taking to preserve glacier systems, including:
- National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE), under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
- Establishment of a Centre for Cryosphere and Climate Change Studies to promote advanced research and monitoring.
- Utilization of Remote Sensing and GIS technologies by ISRO for glacier mass and dynamics monitoring.
- Active research by institutions such as:
- National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR)
- National Institute of Hydrology (NIH)
- Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE)
Disaster Preparedness and Regional Cooperation
India has also made strides in disaster preparedness, especially in mapping and early warning for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Shri Singh stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation, data-sharing mechanisms, and integrated response systems.
India’s Global Commitments
The Minister reaffirmed India’s support for the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) framework, asserting that developing nations like India are disproportionately impacted by climate change, despite contributing minimally to global emissions.
India’s climate achievements include:
- 48% of installed electricity capacity now from non-fossil fuel sources
- 36% reduction in emission intensity of GDP (2005–2020)
- Creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes CO₂ equivalent (2005–2021)
A Call to the Global Community
Welcoming the UN declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and the 2025–2034 Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, Shri Singh called for:
- Enhanced global cooperation
- Shared scientific research
- Greater financial and technological support for developing countries
