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.
Photo of spring equinox festival in Iran wins International Mountain Day 2018 competitionnewsAn image from a spring equinox festival on a mountain in Iran has won the annual International Mountain Day photography competition organized by FAO to heighten awareness of the importance of mountains worldwide. |
A Call for MountainspublicationA Call for Mountains is a declaration published by the participants of the World Mountain Forun in Bishkek, Kygryzstan. Download » |
New project promotes indigenous food and sustainable tourism in the PhilippinesnewsSlow Food and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, hosted by FAO, have signed an agreement to improve the livelihoods of mountain people, with special focus on Cordillera's mountain community in the Philippines. The agreement comes ahead of the International Mountain Day - a day celebrated each...
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Mountain Glaciers: Vanishing Sources of Water and LifepublicationMountain glaciers are among the most visible and emblematic indicators of climate change. Worldwide, glaciers are losing mass at unprecedented rates – a process that has accelerated in recent decades, with record losses in the 21st century. As an effect of widespread glacier shrinkage, the high mountains of the world... Download » |
Romania adopts national mountain lawnewsFollowing fifteen years of efforts , the official Romanian “Mountain Law” for a better future in mountain areas was adopted during the 11th “Euromontana” Convention that took place 25-27 September 2018 in Suceava County (North Carpathians), Romania. - The delineation of the...
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Workshop on mountain transboundary cooperationnewsMountain transboundary cooperation was the topic of a one-day expert workshop organized by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on 9 November 2018. The seminar was attended by approximately 120 participants from EU Institutions, interregional programmes, international organizations and representatives of...
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