UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres calls on mountain countries to take bold action on climate change mitigation and adaption
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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.
MP member wins sustainability awardnewsOn June 2015, Fundación Cordillera Tropical (FCT) won the 2015 National Energy Globe Award for Ecuador in recognition of its commitment to creating sustainable livelihoods in the southern Ecuadorian Andes. Energy Globe, the world award for sustainability, recognized FCT's program to promote pasture restoration on private land bordering Sangay National Park...
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Presenting results on renewable energy in AlpsnewsThe Alps offer great potential for renewable energy production. But this simultaneously increases the pressure on nature. The partners in the international recharge.green project have found ways to ensure this balancing act succeeds. They will be presenting their results at the final conference to be held on 20-21 May 2015...
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A Year-long Ascent: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report 2014publicationThe Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) reflects its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development (SMD) in its 2014 annual report. Using mountain climbing as an analogy to facing SMD challenges, the annual report outlines its work in advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering joint action and... Download » |
Call for papers on women’s lives in mountainspeak to peakIssue 78 – Month 3 – Year 2015 The March issue of Peak to Peak opens with a call for papers on women’s lives in the mountains for the Fourth International Women of the Mountains Conference, which will take place in Utah, US, in October 2015.... Download » |
African Mountains Status ReportpublicationAfrican Mountains Status Report provides an overview of the status, trends and threats facing mountain environments and communities. The 36-page report, produced by Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), comprises five chapters, infographics, case studies... Download » |
Peru: Mountain Country - Facing the Challenges of Climate ChangepublicationClimate change, especially visible in mountain ecosystems, is causing glaciers to disappear at an alarming rate, threatening millions of lives dependent on freshwater resources originating from the mountains in Peru. A bilingual publication titled Peru: Mountain Country / Facing the Challenges of Climate Change, written in English and Spanish, provides testimonies and... Download » |
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