The south base camp, the more popular of the two on the Nepalese side, is located on the increasingly diminishing Khumbu glacier, whose melting is driven by human carbon emissions.
Nepal plans to relocate its Everest base camp about 400 meters lower since human activity and climate change have rendered the location hazardous.
There are two camps on opposing sides of the mountain’s base, which straddles the boundary between Nepal and China.
The more popular of the two base camps on the Nepalese side, the south base camp is located on the increasingly diminishing Khumbu glacier.
The Nepalese government reportedly awarded 408 Everest climbing licenses in 2021, but thousands more people go to the base of the mountain and use the base camp.
Director of Nepal’s Department of Tourism Tara Nath Adhikari stated that human activities and carbon emissions were driving the melting of the ice.
The current location of the base camp is 5,400m above the snowline of the mountain, but there are proposals to move it to a place 400m lower, where there is no year-round ice.
“We must conserve the mountain’s ice and snow,” he stated.
The government agency has begun communicating with environmentalists, mountaineers, and locals to find a secure location for the relocation of the camp.
Mr. Adhikari stated that he did not believe a lower camp would discourage potential climbers or make it more difficult to ascend the mountain.
“It will not make climbing more difficult, but it will be safer because we must prioritize sustainability,” he said.
“It is not good if you can climb a mountain but the following generation cannot.
“We must protect the mountain.”
Everest base camp manager Tshering Tenzing Sherpa told that it was unlikely the camp will relocate over the next several years.
“Climate change is accelerating the movement of glaciers,” he stated. However, he stated that the camp was secure, adding, “I don’t believe a change is necessary for a few years.”
Mr. Adhikari added that the shift will not occur immediately.
According to a new analysis published by the worldwide scientific magazine Nature earlier this year, ice on the South Col Glacier (SCG) has decreased 80 times quicker than it created.
In 2018, a study conducted by Leeds University discovered that ice temperatures within Khumbu, the world’s highest glacier, were warmer than anticipated and particularly susceptible to future climate change.
Human trash and detritus left on the mountain have been a worry for quite some time, with climbers leaving behind empty oxygen cylinders, food wrappers, and old rope.
