UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres calls on mountain countries to take bold action on climate change mitigation and adaption

Mountains and climate change


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.

IPROMO 2018: Bioeconomy in mountain areas

IPROMO 2018: Bioeconomy in mountain areas

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The bioeconomy of the world’s mountains will be under discussion at the 2018 International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) in Ormea and Pieve Tesino, Italy, from 18 June to 2 July. Some 37 technical officers and researchers from more than 20 countries will...

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Mountain Futures in China

Mountain Futures in China

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Researchers and representatives from governments, mountain communities and private sector companies from across the globe meet at the four-day Mountain Futures 2018 conference to discuss inspiration and innovation from the world highlands.
The conference, organized by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Chinese Academy of...

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MRI Scoping Workshop and Networking Event

MRI Scoping Workshop and Networking Event

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The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) will be holding the Scoping Workshop and Networking Event “An agenda for sustainable mountaineering: research needs, projects and partnership opportunities” on 15 June 2018 in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France to discuss sustainable mountaineering through research needs, projects and partnership opportunities.

The Sustainable Summits Conference 2018 (SSC...

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4th Sustainable Summits Conference

4th Sustainable Summits Conference

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In 2010, the Sustainable Summits Conference was launched by the American Alpine Club with the primary goal of sharing solutions for managing human waste in the high mountain peaks around the world. At the 2014 conference in Golden, Colorado, USA, and again in 2016 at Aoraki / Mount Cook National...

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Call for Mountain Postcards from the Alps

Call for Mountain Postcards from the Alps

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The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) aims to beat the Guinness World Record of the largest composed postcard with the help of children and youth. Mountain postcards from all over the world will be presented on the largest glacier of the Alps on 30 October 2018.

The Paris Agreement...

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Sustainable water management at ForumAlpinum

Sustainable water management at ForumAlpinum

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From 4-8 June 2018, 2018, water experts from around the Alps gathered in Breitenwang, Austria, where the 7th Water Conference of the Alpine Convention, took place in the scope of the ForumAlpinum, a biannual event by the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR),...

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