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.
![]() Adaptation to Climate Change with a Focus on Rural Areas and IndianewsThe Indo-German project Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas of India (CCA RAI, www.ccarai.org), funded by GIZ, is pleased to announce the launch of the book “Adaptation to Climate Change with a Focus on Rural Areas and India“. The publication provides an overview of the main issues in current adaptation... Read more » |
![]() USAID funds project to study water reosurces in Asia mountainsnewsA University of Colorado Boulder team is partnering with the United States Agency for International Development to assess snow and glacier contributions to water resources originating in the high mountains of Asia that straddle 10 countries. The four-year study aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic assessment of freshwater resources... Read more » |
Innovation in tackling climate changenewsSharing research-based knowledge and promoting innovation are unprecedentedly critical for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes worldwide, particularly in developing countries. This was the focus of the two-day conference (23-24 January) convened in Kathmandu by the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), supported by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development... Read more » |
40 years of UNESCO World Heritage ConventionnewsUNESCO is one of our most prestigious members, and we have asked Marc Patry from the World Heritage Centre what the Convention envisages for mountains. How is UNESCO ensuring protection of mountain sites? Could you highlight any mountain-related initiatives? The World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972. We... Read more » |
India: Climate change takes malaria to the hillsnewsDue to climate change, malaria and other diseases may shift to higher altitudes, says a draft Action Plan for Climate Change recently compiled in India. Warming climate and variable precipitation offer newer sites of breeding to vectors, pathogens, and bacteria. Plasmodium vivax (Pv) and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) are... Read more » |
2012 International Conference on Geological and Environmental Sciences (ICGES 2012)news2012 International Conference on Geological and Environmental Sciences(ICGES 2012) will be held from 29 to 30 June 2012 on Jeju Island (South Korea). ICGES 2012 is the premier forum for the presentation of technological advances and research results in the fields of Geological and Environmental Sciences. ICGES 2012... Read more » |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|