Climate change empties Uttarakhand villages, study finds

Climate change is driving migration from Uttarakhand's Himalayan villages, with over 20% of rural residents leaving, according to a study by Professor Vishwambhar Prasad Sati. More than 1,700 villages are now abandoned, causing natural springs to dry up and traditional crops to disappear. Snow cover has declined by 36% in three decades, exacerbating water scarcity and ecological instability.