Climate & Mountains

Climate Change/Global-Warming has now become a major issue on the Global Agenda. Mountain peaks are becoming bare of snow, glaciers are melting, fresh water is decreasing and deserts are on the increase.

All around the World it is becoming clearer that these issues are very real and have been ignored for too long and that now, it is imperative that fast, effective, concerted action is taken, to try and resolve some of these issues.

Many resolutions have already been made but now there is a definite need for ‘United Global Environmental Action’ and serious consideration of Long Term Environmental Sustainable Development for life on Earth to continue.

According to the U.N:

“Climate change would be a less immediate threat, if we had kept pace with commitments to sustainable development enunciated again and again over the years.” (U.N Millennium Development Goals Report New York 2008)

Earth’s climate and fresh water cycles are inter-related and dependant upon each other. These in turn are dependent upon indigenous mountain region forests full of biodiversity.

Earths mountain regions are experiencing environmental breakdown on a huge scale. This is largely related to the mass deforestation of mountain regions. Approximately 70% of the high altitude indigenous forests have been removed World-wide.

In relation to this, the Global Fresh Water and Cooling Systems which depend upon them to function properly have become seriously imbalanced. Related to this, Glaciers around the World are retreating at an alarming level. In Nepal there used to be in the region of 7,000 glaciers. Now there are around 4,000 lakes, which could spill over at any time. This would cause tsunami type disasters in the mountains and upset the fresh water supply for billions of people worldwide. Glaciers and glacial lakes are the Water Towers for the Low-lands and play a major part in Earths’ Fresh Water and Cooling Systems. This situation causes huge problems with the quality and quantity of fresh water available everywhere and if not given serious attention, will only become worst and possibly lead to major extinction patterns globally.

 Click Here to read more about - The Role of Mountains in the Fresh Water Cycle.