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.
Third International High Mountain Glacial Watershed Conferenceevent
The 3rd International High Mountain Glacial Watershed Conference will bring together scientists, practitioners, decision makers, and other stakeholders from the Andes, Asia, and the rest of the world to experience the “living laboratory” of the Peruvian Andes. Unlike past conferences, this event will focus on learning through a series of...
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Alpine Summer School: Climate Change and the Mountain EnvironmenteventClimate Change and the Mountain Environment is the topic of this year's Italian-French Alpine Summer School on Fundamental Processes in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics and the Climate System in Valsavarenche, Italy, 18-28 June. The summer school is organized by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate - CNR (Italy) and the Centre...
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Climate Change and Migration in Mountain Areas WorkshopeventThe 2nd workshop on Climate Change and Migration in Mountain Areas will take place 28-29 May 2013 at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland. It will aim to bring together scholars with a strong interest in migration and climate change in mountain areas, covering the world’s major mountain ranges, including...
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Commitment from Asian mountain experts on climate changenewsExperts from Asian mountains committed themselves to working together for social and ecological resilience to climate change at the Regional Workshop on Climate Change Impacts in Asian Mountains in Kathmandu, Nepal, 13-15 March. Senior...
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Apples ‘souring’ due to climate changenewsSweet apples grown in the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh are gradually losing their taste as a result of climate change, according to reports. Farmers of the remote Mechuka valley in West Siang district are complaining that 15-20 years ago the apples they produced were sweet, but now the fruits taste...
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Mountains under Watch 2013 (MUW13)eventMountains Under Watch is an interdisciplinary conference that aims at bringing together scientists and experts working in the diverse fields of climate change studies in mountain areas around the world. The specific goal of the conference is to share experiences, methods and strategies for long term observations and monitoring of...
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