Sagarmatha and How 2025 Became the Year the World Faced Its Climate Reckoning

Sagarmatha and the Tipping Point: How 2025 Became the Year the World Faced Its Climate Reckoning

DILIP DAIMARY

In 2025, humanity is staring into the abyss. Global temperatures are soaring, glacial water towers are melting, oceans are rising, and the last remnants of geopolitical unity on climate action are unraveling.

This year is not just another marker in a warming timeline—it has become a defining chapter in the planetary struggle for survival.

From the melting peaks of the Himalayas to the diplomatic floors of Kathmandu’s Sagarmatha Sambaad ( Mount Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepali, a name meaning “Goddess of the Sky” or “Peak of Heaven”), the world is witnessing the grim consequences of years of inaction and the desperate last attempts to turn the tide.

The year began with a fiery warning: January 2025 was the hottest ever recorded globally, with the planet averaging 1.54°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

That temperature is not just a number—it represents rising seas, burning forests, and displaced communities. By March, Europe had experienced its warmest recorded month, wildfires spread across the Mediterranean, and the Balkans reeled from record-breaking floods.

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But it is in South Asia, particularly the Himalayas, that the consequences are most visibly catastrophic. Nepal’s glaciers—revered as the “Third Pole” and known as Asia’s water towers—are retreating at an alarming rate of 30 meters per year.

These glaciers sustain the great rivers of Asia: the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, and Mekong, which nourish nearly two billion people. At this rate, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warns that even under the most optimistic climate scenarios, the region will lose one-third of its glaciers by 2100.

In February, Antarctic sea ice extent plummeted to a new low, amplifying global sea-level rise that now averages 4.7 mm annually—nearly triple the 1990s rate. This acceleration has sparked deep concerns at the United Nations, where the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing for emergency briefings ahead of COP30 in Brazil.

The United States’ formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on January 1, 2025, further fractured the already fragile global consensus. While President Donald Trump’s administration cited national economic priorities, the decision sent shockwaves through the developing world. With America stepping back, an estimated $3 billion in annual climate finance has vanished—money that was supposed to support vulnerable nations transitioning to clean energy or coping with disaster resilience.

Ironically, market dynamics are pushing the U.S. economy towards renewables anyway. Wind and solar continue to outperform fossil fuels in cost and scale. In Texas, long known for oil and gas, wind power leads electricity generation.

But while economic optimism flickers in the West, frontline nations are taking action born from existential fear. In May 2025, Nepal hosted the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad, a landmark diplomatic initiative named after Mount Everest—called Sagarmatha in Nepali. The summit convened delegates from over 50 climate-vulnerable nations, indigenous communities, and climate scientists. Unlike the often bureaucratic and bloated COP negotiations, Sagarmatha was stark and urgent.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, in a passionate address, demanded that wealthy nations commit $500 billion annually in climate financing, not as charity but as reparations. “The glaciers aren’t waiting. Neither can we,” she declared, echoing the fear of the millions who live downstream. Nepal also pledged to generate 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030 and led regional efforts to monitor glacier melt and lake outburst risks through satellite and community data-sharing systems.

The summit also spotlighted indigenous wisdom and resilience. Representatives from the indigenous communities of Northeast India, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Andes discussed traditional ecological knowledge that could help restore ecosystems and adapt to the changing climate.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has launched a revised global carbon market mechanism to redirect private capital into emissions reduction projects. This system, now operational, could channel hundreds of billions of dollars annually if scaled correctly.

Simultaneously, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has begun a global “Loss and Damage” monitoring initiative, aiming to map the irreversible human and ecological impacts of climate change—especially in small island states and mountainous regions.

But the most pressing warning came from the latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report. Even if every current national pledge is fully met—a highly optimistic assumption—the world remains on course for a catastrophic 2.5 to 2.9°C of warming by 2100. This trajectory, scientists warn, crosses multiple planetary tipping points: Amazon rainforest dieback, Arctic permafrost thaw, and the weakening of Atlantic Ocean circulation.

Compounding these risks are emerging feedback loops. Methane emissions, particularly from agriculture and fossil fuel operations, continue rising at 2.6% annually. At the same time, efforts to reduce air pollution are inadvertently accelerating global warming. As countries clean their air—removing aerosols that previously reflected sunlight—global temperatures are rising more rapidly. Climate models now suggest this “clean air penalty” could add another 0.3°C in the coming decades.

As oceans swell, another demographic catastrophe looms. In Bangladesh, where millions live less than five meters above sea level, sea level rise threatens to inundate vast areas of the deltaic nation. Experts warn that the resulting displacement could trigger one of the largest mass migrations in modern history. Assam, Bengal, and the broader Northeast India region—already politically volatile—could see unprecedented demographic, cultural, and ecological disruption.

“No border force can stop a million desperate people fleeing with their children from the sea,” said Dr. Dipankar Nath, a migration and climate expert based in Guwahati. “We need both climate adaptation and social preparedness. Otherwise, entire regions could collapse—economically, politically, and culturally.”

In the northeastern states of India—Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh—indigenous communities fear that climate-induced migration will erode their fragile cultural ecosystems. These communities, who have lived sustainably with nature for centuries, now face threats not only from rising temperatures and biodiversity loss but from the possibility of becoming minorities in their ancestral lands.

Yet, amidst all this, hope remains alive. Solar capacity is doubling every three years. In over 80% of the world, new renewable energy installations are cheaper than operating fossil fuel plants. Grassroots movements, particularly among indigenous youth, are demanding justice—not only environmental, but historical and economic.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an “Emergency Climate Mobilization,” urging all countries to submit upgraded nationally determined contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30 in Brazil. He has also proposed a Global Climate Peace Fund to address potential conflict arising from climate-induced migration and resource scarcity.

As 2025 progresses, one truth stands out: this is the most consequential year yet. It could be the turning point toward global ecological renewal—or the final acceleration into collapse. From the melting heights of Sagarmatha to the sinking coasts of Bangladesh, the crisis touches every latitude, every nation, and every future.

History will ask what humanity did in 2025. Whether we fought back with courage and unity, or succumbed to division and delay. The laws of physics will not wait. And neither will the rising seas.

18-05-2025

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