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.
![]() Call for Mountain Postcards from the AlpsnewsThe Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) aims to beat the Guinness World Record of the largest composed postcard with the help of children and youth. Mountain postcards from all over the world will be presented on the largest glacier of the Alps on 30 October 2018. The Paris Agreement... Read more » |
![]() Sustainable water management at ForumAlpinumnewsFrom 4-8 June 2018, 2018, water experts from around the Alps gathered in Breitenwang, Austria, where the 7th Water Conference of the Alpine Convention, took place in the scope of the ForumAlpinum, a biannual event by the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR),... Read more » |
![]() Mountain development and prioritizing the SDGsnewsThe University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Mountain Societies Research Institute (MSRI) conducted an expert survey on prioritizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets for sustainable mountain development. Recognizing the importance of pursuing sustainable mountain development as part of transforming our world into one free of poverty, the... Read more » |
![]() Mountain Futures 2018eventIn March 2016, stakeholders from 35 countries established the Mountain Futures Initiative, as part of the inaugural Mountain Futures Conference in Kunming, China. The initiative seeks to foster local innovations for resilient livelihoods in mountain regions worldwide; it aims to identify, develop and scale up mountain-based solutions to global problems. In... Read more » |
![]() Mountain session, SDG 15 Expert Group Meetingpeak to peakIssue 116 – Month 6 – Year 2018 The June 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 on Life on Land that was held in New York on 15 May 2018. The newsletter continues with stories about... Download » |
![]() Agreement to improve mountain livelihoodsnewsIFOAM - Organics International and FAO signed an agreement on June 1 2018 in Rome, Italy to improve the livelihoods of rural peoples, including mountain smallholders, by strengthening market access and value chains for small-scale producers, enhancing the conservation and use of biodiversity and reducing food loss and food waste. |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|