A bridge crosses the dried riverbed of the Shule river in Gansu province, China September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Meltwater flows over the ice of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier, flows near its edge (terminal point) in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A truck drives next to the dried bed of the Shule river, in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China, September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A tractor drives in a field near the edge of the Gobi desert in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A worker harvests onions from a field in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Director Qin Xiang (2nd L) speaks to staff members at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 25, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Mineral deposits lie in the midst of grass close to the dried bed of the Shule river in Gansu province, China September 19, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Visitors look at a model showing the region's water system at the Yumen Pass tourist attraction, which was a historical gateway on the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, China September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A farmer harvests corn in a field on the outskirts of Jiayuguan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student of glacial hydrology, and Qin Xiang, the director of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences walk towards the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 26, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Visitors enjoy the landscape at the Yumen Pass site, which was a historical gateway, on the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, China, September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A staff member enters the toilet building in front of snow covered mountains at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Meltwater flows over the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Donkeys stand near the dried bed of the Shule river, in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Corn is piled in the back of a vehicle in a field on the outskirts of Jiayuguan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Image used for illustrative purpose.

Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student of glacial hydrology, checks a data collection station next to a glacial stream of meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. "The glacier has got smaller, it?s total area has shrunk. It?s something I?ve been able to see with my own eyes. The terminal point of the glacier keeps retreating" Zizhen said. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Gu Jianwei, 35, takes a cauliflower from his mother Xie Xiaolin, 58, to place it in the back of his tricycle while harvesting them on the field at a village on the outskirts of Jiuquan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. Gu said the changes in the weather have meant meagre water for his cauliflowers this year. He said he had been able to water his crop just twice over two crucial summer months, holding up a small cauliflower head that he said was just a fraction of the normal weight. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Zhou Jianping, 56, prepares breakfast for staff at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Gu Jianwei, 35, places a cauliflower on the back of his tricycle while harvesting them in a village on the outskirts of Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, September 28, 2020. Gu said the changes in the weather have meant meagre water for his cauliflowers this year. He said he had been able to water his crop just twice over two crucial summer months, holding up a small cauliflower head that he said was just a fraction of the normal weight. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Donkeys drink water from a pond near the dried bed of the Shule river in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China, September 21, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Qin Xiang director of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student in glacial hydrology, place a measuring pole in the ice near the edge of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 26, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Image used for illustrative purpose. A hydropower station stands on the Changma river on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Staff members repair the gate of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins