Nepal’s Ice Funeral: The Sad Goodbye to Yala Glacier
- TPP
- May 22
- 5 min read
In May 2025, high in the Langtang Valley of Nepal, something extraordinary took place. At more than 5,000 meters above sea level, a group of people gathered not for a celebration—but for a funeral.
But this wasn’t the funeral of a person. It was a farewell to Yala Glacier, one of the most studied glaciers in the Himalayas, which is now rapidly melting due to climate change. As this glacier vanishes, it carries with it a powerful warning for the rest of the world.
Before we continue, it’s important to understand: What exactly is a glacier?
A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from layers of snow that have compressed over many years. Glaciers store about 75% of the world’s freshwater and are often found in mountain regions and polar areas. They move slowly downhill under their own weight and shape the land as they go.
Glaciers act as natural water reservoirs, releasing meltwater into rivers during warmer months. This water is essential for agriculture, drinking water, hydropower, and the health of ecosystems downstream.
But now, many glaciers—including Yala—are disappearing because of rising global temperatures.
Yala Glacier: A Glacier in Peril
Yala Glacier is located in Nepal’s Langtang National Park, between 5,170 and 5,750 meters above sea level. It has long been a vital site for scientists studying glacier behavior.
Since 1974, Yala has shrunk by 66% in surface area and has retreated 784 meters, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). If current warming trends continue, Yala could vanish completely by the 2040s. This would make it the first glacier in Nepal to be officially declared “dead.”
The Ice Funeral: A Farewell with Meaning
On May 12, 2025, more than 50 people—including Buddhist monks, local villagers, and glaciologists from Nepal, India, Bhutan, and China—made a challenging trek to Yala Glacier. They were there to take part in an “ice funeral”, a symbolic ceremony to honor the glacier and raise global awareness of climate change.
This funeral was part of Nepal’s contribution to the United Nations’ International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation (2025).
During the ceremony, Buddhist chants were recited, emotional speeches were given, and two granite memorial plaques were placed near the glacier. Written in Nepali, English, and Tibetan, the plaques feature messages from renowned authors Manjushree Thapa (Nepal) and Andri Snær Magnason (Iceland).
Yala Glacier is now the first in Asia and the third in the world to be memorialized in this way. The other two were Iceland’s Okjökull Glacier (declared dead in 2019) and Mexico’s Ayoloco Glacier (2021).
Why Yala Glacier Mattered
Yala Glacier wasn’t just a beautiful natural formation. It played a major role in scientific research and education.
Since 2011, it has been a training ground for more than 100 glaciologists from across Asia. It was one of just seven glaciers in the entire Hindu Kush Himalayan region (which stretches across eight countries) to be monitored annually, and one of only 38 glaciers in the region with detailed on-site data.
Experts at ICIMOD described Yala as an “open textbook”, helping researchers understand how glaciers respond to climate change—especially in places where such data has been historically limited.
Stories from the Community
Just before the ceremony, on May 9, 2025, people from Mundu, a village near the glacier, held a community gathering. Local residents spoke of how their seasons have changed, snowfalls have become unreliable, and water sources are drying up.
These observations, based on lived experience, now match what scientists have found through measurements, photographs, and satellite images. Together, they create a full and urgent picture of what’s happening to the region.
A Global Problem, Not Just Nepal’s
The story of Yala Glacier is not an isolated one. Across the planet, glaciers are melting at record speed.
From 2022 to 2024, glaciers experienced the most severe loss of ice ever recorded, according to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. In 2024 alone, Earth lost 450 billion tonnes of glacier ice. Since 1975, almost nine trillion tonnes have melted—enough to cover India in 2.7 meters (almost 9 feet) of ice.
Glaciers now gone or at serious risk include:
Iceland: Okjökull Glacier
USA: Anderson, Clark, and Glisan Glaciers
New Zealand: Baumann Glacier
Italy: Calderone Glacier
Argentina: Martial Sur Glacier
Venezuela: Pico Humboldt Glacier (vanished in 2024)
Switzerland: Pizol and Basodino Glaciers
France: Sarenne Glacier (gone by 2023)
Germany: Schneeferner Glacier
Mexico: Ayoloco Glacier
Why Glaciers Matter to Everyone
It’s easy to think of glaciers as distant, icy giants—but they’re essential to life around the world.
Here’s why glaciers are important:
Water Storage: They store most of Earth’s freshwater.
Farming: Their meltwater irrigates crops and supports food production.
Ecosystems: Rivers from glaciers provide homes for fish and other wildlife.
Climate Control: Glaciers reflect sunlight, helping to keep the Earth cool.
Disaster Prevention: Glaciers help reduce the risk of dangerous floods caused by glacial lakes.
But when glaciers melt too fast, it leads to:
Scarce drinking water
Crop failures
Rising sea levels
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)
Accelerated global warming
For example, in 2015, Bhutan’s Lemthang Glacier burst, causing deadly floods in the valleys below.
What Is Being Done to Save Glaciers?
Global Action
The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation.
From this year forward, March 21 will be observed each year as the World Day for Glaciers.
UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are leading global efforts to protect and monitor glaciers.
Regional Action in South Asia
Nepal
Held Yala’s glacier funeral to raise awareness.
Preparing to host the Sagarmatha Sambaad, a global summit on glaciers, water, food, and energy security.
India
Runs the Network Programme on the Himalayan Cryosphere to study glacier behavior.
Established the Centre for Cryosphere and Climate Change Studies.
Operates the HIMANSH Research Station, a high-altitude lab that monitors glacier changes.
A Message for the Future
Yala Glacier may soon vanish, but its legacy lives on.
It stands as a symbol of climate change, a scientific reference point, and most importantly, a call to humanity. It reminds us that the choices we make today—about energy, environment, and conservation—will shape the world for future generations.
India’s former climate envoy, Shyam Saran, captured this urgency in a single sentence:
“The issues that divide us today will be dwarfed by the disasters we face if we don’t recognize our interconnectedness with the ecological systems that support us.”
And the memorial plaque at Yala Glacier leaves us with a haunting message:
“Only you know if we did it.”
So the question is: Will we act now to protect what remains—or stand by as more glaciers melt silently into history?
climate change