Human activities are profoundly affecting the world’s climate, and mountains are a sensitive indicator of that effect. Because of their altitude, slope and orientation to the sun, mountain ecosystems are easily disrupted by variations in climate. Many scientists believe that the changes occurring in mountain ecosystems may provide an early glimpse of what could come to pass in lowland environments.
As the world heats up, mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, while rare plants and animals struggle to survive over ever diminishing areas, and mountain peoples, already among the world’s poorest citizens, face even greater hardships.
Changes in the volume of mountain glaciers and in their seasonal melting patterns have an impact on water resources in many parts of the world. Changes in water availability due to climate change are taking place at a time when pressure on water resources for irrigation and food production, industrialization and urbanization is increasing.
Understanding how climate change affects mountains is vital as governments and international organizations develop strategies to reverse current global warming trends, elaborating treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition, local community empowerment can be an essential step towards building climate change resilience in mountains.
![]() Building resilience to climate change in mountain areasmultimediaMountain countries and organizations urged the UN on 8 January 2014 in New York, USA, to include mountains in the Post-2015 development agenda as they are ‘vital to sustainable development’. Read more Read more » |
![]() Impacts of Global Climate Change on Snow, Glaciers and Water Resources in the AndeseventThis science and policy workshop, organized by the Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will bring together researchers and policy makers to work on policy recommendations for adaptation strategies on global change impacts... Read more » |
![]() An overview of mountains in ten regionsnews‘Mountains: Our Life, Our Future – Progress and perspectives on sustainable mountain development,’ a publication launched at the Fourth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, examines the environmental and social issues at stake in the world’s mountains over the last twenty years. Based on ten regional reports prepared for the... Read more » |
![]() Mountains: Our Life, Our Future – Progress and perspectives on sustainable mountain developmentpublicationBased on ten regional reports prepared for the Rio+20 conference, this 89-page global report examines the environmental and social issues at stake in the world’s mountains over the last twenty years. It explains why mountains matter in the Andes, Meso-America, North America, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the... Download » |
![]() Adaptation to Climate Change: revegetation to recover hydrological cycles as an ecosystem serviceeventClimate Impact Research & Response Coordination for a Larger Europe (CIRCLE-2) is organizing a workshop on adaptating to climate change. The aim is to share knowledge among researchers, practitioners, stakeholders and policymakers in Europe about the relationship between land use and water cycle in order to develop practical solutions for... Read more » |
![]() Water: The present and future of food security and nutrition in the context of climate changeeventThis international meeting will analyze Andean experiences on water management and climate change adaptation measures in agriculture, their impacts on food security and nutrition, and public policy advocacy. Meeting participants in Peru aim to identify and propose strategies to implement agricultural policies that integrate risk management and climate change adaptation,... Read more » |
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