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.

Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP 23

Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP 23

peak to peak

Issue 110 – Month 11 – Year 2017

The November issue of Peak to Peak announces the two side events organized within the framework of the Mountain Partnership that will take place during the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the United Nations Framework...

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Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP 23

Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP 23

news

To ensure that mountains are recognized in the processes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Mountain Partnership members are organizing two side events during the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC on 6-17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany. Mountain...

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New programme and course on mountain EbA

New programme and course on mountain EbA

news

The Mountain Institute (TMI) launched its new Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Programme, which seeks to increase the use of ecosystem-based approaches to help mountain communities adapt to climate change. The three-year programme will expand the use of nature-based solutions in key mountain areas of Nepal, Peru and Uganda...

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Plateau Perspectives documentary showing on TV

Plateau Perspectives documentary showing on TV

news

A documentary film about the Mountain Partnership member Plateau Perspectives’ work in the Sanjiangyuan Region of China is now showing on the television network Hong Kong Television. Developed over the last few years, the 24-minute video presents the rich experiences and the beautiful natural and cultural landscapes of...

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Malawi forms national mountain committee

Malawi forms national mountain committee

news

Malawi will form a national committee on mountains, decided the participants of an inception workshop on sustainable mountain development (SMD) held on 29 September 2017. The participants also agreed that there is a need to develop a national strategy on SMD to address the challenges facing the country’s mountain ecosystems...

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#MountainsMatter contest deadline extended

#MountainsMatter contest deadline extended

news

The deadline to enter the #MountainsMatter video contest has been extended from 20 October to 3 November 2017. From Brazil to France, Nepal to Tanzania, people around the world are responding to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s call for one-minute videos on the...

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