NEPAL Gokyo Valley -- 16 Apr 2005 -- Aerial view of the Gokyo Valley. In the background is Mount Cho Oyu - one of the highest peaks in the HImalayas.

NEPAL Gokyo Valley -- 16 Apr 2005 -- Aerial view of the Gokyo Valley. In the background is Mount Cho Oyu - one of the highest peaks in the HImalayas. Scientists have warned that rising temperatures from global warming may cause the demise of these Himalayan ice falls and glaciers - some already melting fast. The effects of this are likely to affect many Asian nations, as these glaciers - and those in neighbouring Tibet - feed most of the large river systems from Pakistan to China. Widespread flooding has began and is expected to continue. In the 2004 Monsoon, some 30 million people in Nepal, India and Bangladesh were affected by serious flooding. Scientists add that after the glaciers have melted, their departure will lead to widespread drought across many areas of Asia. Glaciers are melting all over the world, here in the high Himalaya, on average, glaciers are receeding by around 15m + per year, a statistic which increases as the temperature rises -- Picture © Atlas Photo Archive/Jonathan Mitchell