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.
2nd Nordic International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation, Helsinki, 29-31 August 2012newsThe Second Nordic International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation: "Adaptation Research Meets Adaptation Decision-Making" will be held from 29 to 31 August 2012 in Helsinki, Finland. The conference is jointly organized by the NordForsk TFI Network initiative on Effect Studies and the Adaptation to Climate Change network (NORDCLAD-Net...
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Gender and Climate - Launch of FAO and CGIAR Training GuidenewsThe Training Guide “Gender and Climate Change Research in Agriculture and Food Security for Rural Development” is now available online. The guide was jointly developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) of the Consultative Group...
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"Himalaya Water Tower" Highscrapers to solve access to water?newsChinese designer/engineers Zhi Zheng, Hongchuan Zhao and Dongbai Song have put forth a tantalizing proposal that combines human scientific ingenuity with a practical, prescient vision for a sustainable future. The approximately 55,000 icy glaciers in the Himalayan region hold 40 percent of the world’s fresh water and together...
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Monitoring the Effects of Climate Change in Protected Ecosystems - 19, 20 and 21 March 2012, Santiago de ChilenewsThe Workshop “Monitoring the Effects of Climate Change in Protected Ecosystems” is going to take place on 19, 20 and 21 March 2012 at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in Santiago de Chile. Ranging from Mexico to the Land of Fire in Argentina,...
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European Mountain Convention - 2-4 October 2012, Chambery, FrancenewsThe European Mountain Convention will take place this year from 2 to 4 October 2012 in Chambery, France. The Convention is organized by the European Association for Mountain Areas (Euromontana) in cooperation with the French region Rhône Alpes. The three-day conference will feature discussions on several topics related...
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United Nations General Assembly Resolution: Sustainable Mountain Development (2012)publicationResolution adopted by the General Assembly on Sustainable mountain development at the 66th Session. A/RES/66/205
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