Duke and Duchess of Cambridge see melting glacier in Pakistan

The Duke of Cambridge has praised young people for speaking out against climate change during a visit to see a melting glacier in Pakistan and warned that we will “lose many of the precious things we care about” if we don’t act now.

Prince William and Kate, who are currently on a five-day tour of the country, were flown by helicopter to see how warming temperatures are melting glaciers in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

It was the first time the couple had the opportunity to see a melting glacier in person.

They were taken to the Chiatibo Glacier which is now retreating at a rate of 10 metres a year because of rising temperatures, and the rate that it is melting is only increasing.

Speaking during the visit to highlight the effects of climate change, the duke said: “We’ve seen all around the world now, the young are getting very engaged in what’s going on.

“And I think it’s fantastic that we can all come together and really have a very good conversation about what we need to do, and that action needs to happen very soon.

“A lot of people rely on this (glacier) and if we take too long about this we will lose many of the precious things we care about.”

Speaking about their trip into the mountains in the remote Chitral Valley, he said: “Coming up here and seeing all the communities on the way up here you realise how many people are living up here and how dependent they are on the precious very fragile environment that’s here.”

He added: “Bearing in mind a lot of people are now living urban lives, it’s very hard to understand living in an urban environment, where your water comes from and how precious the actual source of it all is”.

Talking about the aim of their tour more widely, he said: “Catherine and I felt it was very important to come to Pakistan and see all the different range of environments there are and, and really try and get a feel of the country.

“But also to use our voice and lend our position and our visit to kind of talk about issues like climate change, issues about the environment.”

Glacier expert Dr Furrukh Bashir of the Pakistan meteorological department told the royals there are more than 5,000 reasonably sized glaciers in the mountain ranges in that region, with 1.6 billion people relying on them for water.

The Duke of Cambridge talked about how much more needed to be done for vulnerable communities at risk from climate change and said there should be “more education, more awareness and political action”.

He commented: “Dr Warren my geography teacher would be well impressed that I’m back at a glacier after all these years.”

Dr Bashir also told them: “Scientific communities have agreed global warming is causing glacial retreat.

“These glaciers are retreating and telling you that climate change is real, global warming is real.

“A quarter of humanity are dependent on these glaciers.”

The couple met people in Bumburet who were there when severe floods hit the village in 2015.

Glaciers above the village have melted, causing lakes, which flooded and washed boulders, rocks and debris down the mountain side destroying houses and agricultural land.

Villagers told the royals that climate change has had a dramatic impact on the way they live, and they fear it will happen again.

William and Kate watched a drill conducted by volunteers from the local emergency response team, now supported by UK aid, which, through community education and early warning work, helped to prevent any loss of life in 2015.

They also met a young woman called Diana, a volunteer, who had been named after William’s mother, the Princess of Wales, when she visited in 1991.

They were then entertained by the Kalash people, who follow a religion believed to pre-date Islam and Christianity.

Kate was presented with a traditional Chitrali hat and white coat while in the Hindu Kush mountains, almost identical to the ones worn by Diana when she took a private helicopter to visit the region nearly 30 years ago.

William was given a book commemorating his late mother’s visit, and when given his own coat and hat, Kate remarked: “It’s amazing, all that embroidery.”

The Kalash people are a non-Muslim minority population, culturally and ethnically distinct descendants of Indo-Aryan tribes.

The palace said the couple hope their visit will shine a light on the very real consequences of global warming, and its devastating effects on our planet.

(c) Sky News 2019: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge see melting glacier in Pakistan