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.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution: Sustainable Mountain Development (2022)publicationResolution approved by the United Nations General Assembly on sustainable mountain development at seventy-seventh session. A/RES/77/172 Download » |
Working with mountain communities could help water systems adapt to climatenewsIn a new paper, Imperial College London researchers outline how integrated water strategies that include scientists working directly with mountain communities on the ground could help them drive their own climate adaptation and boost water security. Mountains are the water towers of the world, but this water source is under...
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UNFCCC COP 27 side event - IPCC Cross-Chapter Paper 5: Mountains - sharing knowledge to promote adaptation initiatives in mountainseventThe recent publication of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report and its Cross-Chapter Paper 5 provides an opportunity to discuss how scientific evidence can be used to strengthen participation of mountain people in national and international policy processes. Understanding the need for adequate and coordinated support in mountain regions, this session...
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Season 2 of “Voices from the Roof of the World” out nownewsAlarms are ringing throughout the world: the most ruinous floods in Pakistan's history, the worst drought in a generation in East Africa, Everest base camp turned from a frigid outpost to a lakeside camp. These are all signs that climate change is accelerating. Ian Fry, the UN Special Rapporteur on...
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2022 State of the Cryosphere Report online nownewsOn 7 November 2022, the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) released the 2022 State of the Cryosphere Report at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Released annually, the Report takes the pulse of the...
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Women Move Mountains photo contest openspeak to peakThe November 2022 issue of Peak to Peak announces the opening of the International Mountain Day 2022 photo contest, "Women move mountains". Top news stories spotlight countries' mountain advocacy efforts in Nepal and Romania and continue with updates on Mountain Partnership members' projects in Ecuador and Tajikistan. Peak to Peak... Download » |
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