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.
An overview of mountains in ten regionsnews‘Mountains: Our Life, Our Future – Progress and perspectives on sustainable mountain development,’ a publication launched at the Fourth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, examines the environmental and social issues at stake in the world’s mountains over the last twenty years. Based on ten regional reports prepared for the...
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Mountains: Our Life, Our Future – Progress and perspectives on sustainable mountain developmentpublicationBased on ten regional reports prepared for the Rio+20 conference, this 89-page global report examines the environmental and social issues at stake in the world’s mountains over the last twenty years. It explains why mountains matter in the Andes, Meso-America, North America, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the... Download » |
Adaptation to Climate Change: revegetation to recover hydrological cycles as an ecosystem serviceeventClimate Impact Research & Response Coordination for a Larger Europe (CIRCLE-2) is organizing a workshop on adaptating to climate change. The aim is to share knowledge among researchers, practitioners, stakeholders and policymakers in Europe about the relationship between land use and water cycle in order to develop practical solutions for...
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Water: The present and future of food security and nutrition in the context of climate changeeventThis international meeting will analyze Andean experiences on water management and climate change adaptation measures in agriculture, their impacts on food security and nutrition, and public policy advocacy. Meeting participants in Peru aim to identify and propose strategies to implement agricultural policies that integrate risk management and climate change adaptation,...
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United Nations General Assembly Report: Sustainable mountain development (2013)publicationReport of the Secretary-General on Sustainable Mountain Development Download » |
The Hamburg Conference: Actions for Climate Induced MigrationeventThe Hamburg Conference: Actions for Climate Induced Migration takes place in Hamburg, Germany, 16-18 July, and aims to bring together top scientists, experts, practitioners and decision-makers to share evidence-based knowledge and experiences on climate-Induced migration. The conference's four theematic streams are Climate-Induced Migration and Urbanization, Climate-Induced Migration and Rural Livelihoods, Climate-Induced...
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