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.
A network and declaration from Mountains 2016newsThe event Mountains 2016 held in Bragança, Portugal aimed at promoting sustainable development in mountains. It included two conferences: the tenth European Mountain Convention (EMC) on 3-4 October and the first International Conference on Research for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions (ICRSDMR) on 6-7 October. Mountains 2016 brought together the European...
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Outcomes of the 2016 World Mountain ForumnewsThe 2016 World Mountain Forum (WMF) provided a platform to discuss sustainable mountain development (SMD) in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WMF 2016 resulted in a Mbale Call for Scaling Up Action, themed 'Don’t leave the mountains behind,' which...
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Mountains to be featured at UNFCCC COP22newsThe Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), Mountain Partnership members and other institutions are organizing side events, exhibitions and other fora to highlight mountain issues during the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco. The purpose is...
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Winner of the 2016 Mountain Protection AwardnewsMountain Wilderness, a France-based project dedicated principally to the removal of obsolete manmade facilities in the European Alps, was announced as winner of the 2016 International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) Mountain Protection Award during a ceremony held at the UIAA General Assembly in Brixen (Bressanone),...
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Fifth Global Meeting of the Mountain PartnershipeventThe Fifth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership (MP) was to take place 21-22 October 2016 in Mbale, Uganda, but has been postponed to 2017. The new date and venue are to be determined. This Global Meeting will provide members with an opportunity to discuss delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals,...
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Call for mountain climate change expertsnewsThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is currently requesting that Governments, Observer Organizations and IPCC Bureau members nominate experts, by Monday, 14 November 2016, for the scoping meeting of its 6th Assessment Report. The partners of the Sustainable Mountain Development for Global Change Programme (SMD4GC) discussed the call this...
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