Everest’s base camp is melting

Photo by TASHI LAKPA SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images

The base camp of Everest is going to be moved off of the glacier.

The changing climate is causing the glacier to thin quickly. Increased rock falls and movement of melt-water on the surface of the glaciers can be dangerous, according to a researcher.

The base camp location is no longer safe due to the melting ice. Climbers say there are cracks in the ground overnight, and they expect more ice falls in the future. The new base camp will be in a place where there isn't year-round ice.

Climate change isn't the only factor that contributes to the destabilization The committee that recommended the move found that people at the base camp urinated 4,000 liters a day. The glacier's ice will be impacted by the huge amount of fuels we burn there for cooking and warming.

The conditions on Everest are getting worse. glaciers lose ice in a few years and take hundreds of years to develop The climb is becoming more dangerous. The melting reveals the dead bodies of climbers and garbage.

Local communities who might be affected by the shift need to be discussed with the tourism department. Base camp could move by 2024 if all goes according to plan.