UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres calls on mountain countries to take bold action on climate change mitigation and adaption
External links
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.
Climate and insect pests in Eastern AfricanewsA four-year research and development project on the impacts of climate change on insect pests in eastern African mountains is underway in Kenya, coordinated by the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology. The Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Eastern Africa (CHIESA) Project 2011–2015 targets...
|
New Regional Initiative for Mountains agreed for the MENA regionnewsOver 15 representatives from the Middle East and North African (MENA) region met in Marrakech this week to discuss the effects of climate change in mountains.
|
Doha Climate Summit outcomesnewsThe 195 parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) approved a complex package called “The Doha Climate Gateway” at December’s UN Climate Change Conference - Conference of the Parties (COP 18) in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Gateway, while setting no new targets, marks a second phase with...
|
Mountains and Climate Change: A Global ConcernmultimediaWhether we live at sea level or higher, we are connected to mountains and affected by them in more ways than we can imagine. Mountains provide most of the world's freshwater, harbour a rich variety of plants and animals, and are home to one in ten people. Yet, each day, environmental...
|
CIRCLE-2: Workshop on Uncertainty and Climate Change AdaptationeventThe CIRCLE-2 Joint Initiative is promoting the Workshop on Uncertainty and Climate Change Adaptation. The Workshop will be conducted in English and will be held in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, in Portugal. The main goals of this event are to promote discussion and contribute with...
|
Himalayan Glaciers Will Shrink Despite Steady ClimatenewsSome glaciers of the Himalayas will continue shrinking for many years to come, even if temperatures hold steady, a Brigham Young University geology professor, Summer Rupert, has predicted. Rupper’s most conservative findings indicate that even if climate remained steady, almost 10 percent of Bhutan’s glaciers will vanish within the next...
|
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us
Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|
