ASIA / PACIFIC July 3, 2023 Study: Himalayan glaciers could lose 80% of their volume BENGALURU, India (AP) — Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges and could lose up to 80% of their volume this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t sharply reduced, according to a report. The report from the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development warned that flash floods and avalanches would grow more likely in coming years, and that the availability of fresh water could be curtailed for nearly 2 billion people who live downstream of 12 rivers that originate in the mountains. Ice and snow in the Hindu Kush Himalayan ranges are an important source of water for those rivers, which flow through 16 countries in Asia and provide fresh water to 240 million people in the mountains and another 1.65 billion downstream. “The people living in these mountains who have contributed next to nothing to global warming are at high risk due to climate change,” said Amina Maharjan, a migration specialist and one of the report’s authors. “Current adaptation efforts are wholly insufficient, and we are extremely concerned that without greater support, these communities will be unable to cope.” Various earlier reports have found that the cryosphere — regions on Earth covered by snow and ice — are among the worst affected by climate change. Recent research found that Mount Everest’s glaciers, for example, have lost 2,000 years of ice in just the past 30 years. Among the key findings from the report are that the Himalayan glaciers disappeared 65% faster since 2010 than in the previous decade, and that reducing snow cover due to global warming will result in reduced fresh water for people living downstream. The study found that 200 glacier lakes across these mountains are deemed dangerous, and the region could see a significant spike in glacial lake outburst floods by the end of the century. The study found that communities in the mountain regions are being affected by climate change far more than many other parts of the world. It says changes to the glaciers, snow, and permafrost of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region driven by global warming are “unprecedented and largely irreversible.” THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5 Iconic HK dragon boat races are back in full force with thousands of spectators By Katie Tam The Associated Press ONG KONG — Thousands gathered last month in southern Hong Kong to watch the iconic dragon boat races, a highlight of the annual Chinese Dragon Boat festival. The dragon boat races were back in full force after years of cancellations, postponements, and social-distancing restrictions during the pandemic. Dragon boat teams in Hong Kong range from 8 to 50 people, depending on the size of the boat. A standard boat in Hong Kong typically has a crew of 20 people who race between about 820 and 1,640 feet. The Dragon Boat festival, also known as “Tuen Ng” in Cantonese, is associated with a story of a righteous official in ancient times who drowned himself after falling out of favor with his leader. According to the lore, villagers rushed out to the river with boats to try and save him, and threw rice dumplings into the water to prevent fish from eating his body and to ward away evil spirits. Thus the tradition of dragon boating and eating rice dumplings, which are called zongzi in Chinese, was born. The holiday is celebrated in mainland China and regions like Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as in coun- tries like Singapore that have a large Chinese diaspora. The dragon boat race at Hong Kong’s southern fishing port of Aberdeen is famous for having local fishermen join the race with traditional dragon boats they make themselves. Continued on page 19 H DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL. Competitors take part in dragon boat races to celebrate the Tuen Ng festival in Hong Kong on June 22, 2023. This year’s dragon boat races were back in full force after years of cancel- lations, postponements, and social-distancing restrictions during the pan- demic. (AP Photos/Louise Delmotte) Singapore ride-hailing firm Grab slashes 1,000 jobs in biggest layoff since pandemic By Zen Soo The Associated Press ONG KONG — Singapore ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings said it is cutting more than 1,000 jobs or 11% of its workforce to cut costs and keep the company competitive, in its biggest round of job cuts since the pandemic. Grab CEO Anthony Tan said in a letter sent to H employees that the job cuts were not a “shortcut to profitability,” but part of a fundamental restructuring of its operating model and costs. “The primary goal of this exercise is to strategically reorganize ourselves, so that we can move faster, work smarter, and rebalance our resources across our portfolio in line with our longer term strategies,” Tan said, describing the restructure as a “painful but necessary Continued on page 19