Water for millions at risk as glaciers melt away

· Crisis threatens parts of South America and Asia
· Decline accelerates as global warming takes hold

David Adam, environment correspondent
Wednesday October 11, 2006
The Guardian

The world's glaciers and ice caps are now in terminal decline because of global warming, scientists have discovered. A survey has revealed that the rate of melting across the world has sharply accelerated in recent years, placing even previously stable glaciers in jeopardy. The loss of glaciers in South America and Asia will threaten the water supplies of millions of people within a few decades, the experts warn.