The most popular of the two base camps on Mount Everest is located in Nepal, at a height of 5.364 meters, and it is the starting point for climbers that aim to reach the top of the tallest mountain in the world.

According to Euronews.green, Nepal's base camp sits on the Khumbu glacier, but the ice on the location is melting due to climate change, and rock falls and water on its surface make the base unsafe.

Scientists at the University of Leeds found that the glacier is melting at a rate of one meter per year, which means that some 9.5 million cubic meters of ice vanishes yearly.

Researchers even drilled into the ice to see how warm the glacier is and they found temperatures to be higher than expected.

The Nepalese government set up a committee to monitor mountaineering on Everest, which recommended the relocation of the camp.

Climate change isn't the only factor when it comes to the thinning of the Khumbu glacier, as the site sees quite a few tourists every year, about 1.500 of them.

Khimlal Gautam, a member of the committee responsible for the relocation plan, said that "we found that people urinate around 4,000 liters at the base camp every day."

Since visitors who come to the site every year need heating for warming themselves and cooking, this means that fossil-fuels are being burnt as well, which adds up to the environmental impact on the icy region.

Gautam mentioned that in previous years, the government spent weeks cleaning up equipment and waste left behind by the climbers.

Nepal officials say that the site can still be used for a few more years, as the relocation could come as soon as 2024.