Mount Everest glaciers are under threat and melting — thanks to climbers relieving themselves (only 4.39 years left)

NY Post ^ | 9/04/26 | Ben Cost

[Libloather]

Urine trouble, Mount Everest.

After standing the test of time for 50 million years, the world’s tallest mountain is under threat from an unlikely source: our pee.

Urine deposited on glaciers is enough to melt over 150 tons of ice and snow on Mount Everest every year, according to an a-thaw-calyptic study in the Regional Environmental Change scientific journal, as reported by the Independent.

“Urine, with a temperature of around 37°C (human body temperature), causes the ice to melt,” wrote the study authors, who were sent by Nepal’s Survey Department to determine the impact of humans on Everest.

The international team of scientists studied the Khumbu Glacier, the home of the Everest base camp on the mountain’s Nepalese side. Hundreds of people congregate there each year before attempting to summit the 29,035-foot wonder.

These throngs have turned this majestic pinnacle into a “Burning Man”-esque tent city producing disruptive noise, Himalayan trash mounds, and of course, mountains of human waste.

While climbers have been required to pack out their poop in bags since 2024, climbers still relieve themselves directly onto the ice.

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TOPICS: Local News; Outdoors; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: andamagicunicorn; climbers; everest; fakescience; glaciers; melting; mounteverest; nypos; urine

[GSWarrior]

This is series. Where do you think the Yellow Band came from?

[Flaming Conservative]

If it’s true, then the rule should be one must bottle the urine and take it away on the way down. There should be racks along the way to store it so the warm bottles don’t melt the ice or snow.

[crusty old prospector]

He ran it through some sort of filter.

[glennaro]

A trek to the top of Everest is a long way to go just to take a leak. Easier — and probably more satisfying — to just do it on a “karen” neighbor’s petunias.

[KittyKares]

He ran it through some sort of filter.
____________________________________________________

How did I miss that?

I feel a little better. :-0

[crusty old prospector]

Maybe you need a Kevin Costner fix.

[Veto!]

My son went to Everest Base Camp years ago, and ate at the Yak and Yetti restaurant in some little hotel. He and his friends got snowed in for five days,
To amuse themselves they told yak jokes .

(Don’t talk back.)

[Revel]

Sounds like a bunch of idiots are making things up. The science does not add up.

[EnderWiggin1970]

Urine deposited on glaciers is enough to melt over 150 tons of ice and snow on Mount Everest every year

In other words about a 10 X 15 yard block of ice, a bit more than 1 yard thick. Not a big deal. Sheesh.

[Recompennation]

And send note:
Don’t eat the yellow snow

[GreatRoad]

LoL, I see what you did there!

[TigersEye]

After standing the test of time for 50 million years,

The idiot who wrote this appears to be unaware that the ice ages only began about 5 million years ago and the most recent glacial maximum ended about 19k years ago, with a huge retreat back to glacial maximum temps for about a thousand years and then a return to warming 11,600 years ago that leveled off at an average of 6 degrees Celsius warmer than the glacial maximum period.

ie Himalayan glaciers have been melting for well over 10k years.

[HereInTheHeartland]

A universal urine tax needs to be immediately implemented .

[TigersEye]

True. At that altitude they can’t tax the air they breath.
They’ve already paid for it and brought it with them in bottles.

[KittyKares]

Maybe you need a Kevin Costner fix.
_____________________________________________________

Maybe, although not to see how he filters urine.

[Secret Agent Man]

I’m calling human pee on this one.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

This is BS. The pee would just freeze along with any melted snow once it loses its heat. Watch out where the climbers go, don’t you eat that yellow snow....

[norwaypinesavage]

The author seems blissfully unaware that it’s quite cold on Mt. Everest. Any liquids there would quickly refreeze, regardless of the temperature they started at. The climbers are actually adding to the glaciers, not melting them.