Each day, one of every two people on the planet quenches his thirst with water that originates in mountains. And as the world population swells to an estimated 9.6 billion by 2050, the worldwide demand for freshwater will continue to soar.
More than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life. The ten largest rivers originating in the Hindu Kush Himalayas alone supply water to over 1.35 billion people. Some of the world’s largest cities, including New York, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Tokyo and Melbourne, are dependent on freshwater from mountains.
Climate change is already causing more than 600 glaciers to disappear, resulting in springs and rivers drying up. Greater frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods, including flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), are also expected to increase in mountains, causing imbalance between current water supply and demand.
Given the importance of mountain water resources worldwide, the careful management of mountain water resources is a global priority. Water management practices need to be adapted to different climatic zones, using locally adapted soil and water management techniques. Most importantly, watershed management must take into account the needs of all those who depend on mountain water, including those who have the greatest stake in preserving healthy mountain ecosystems – people who live in mountain areas themselves, who are often marginalized from the decision-making processes.
![]() Study Finds Permafrost Thaw: Glacier Melt Releasing MethanenewsA study, led by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has found that methane from underground reservoirs is streaming from thawing permafrost and receding glaciers, contributing to the greenhouse gas load in the atmosphere. The study, published online in the journal Nature Geoscience, is the first to document leakage... Read more » |
![]() IUCN: Thomson Reuters Environmental Media AwardeventFor over a decade, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has teamed up with Thomson Reuters Foundation to honor environmental journalism. From 15 May to 15 June 2012, journalists and writers across the world are invited to submit an article on an environmental issue, for the IUCN –... Read more » |
![]() Asian glaciers bucking trend of climate change ice meltnewsBucking the global trend, glaciers in the Karakoram region, north of the Himalaya, have been shown to be growing, gaining as much water from precipitation as they were losing from melting, bucking the global trend. The new study of the Karakoram used French satellite measurements to predict changes in the... Read more » |
![]() Pakistan’s first climate change adaptation plan to tackle “mountain tsunamis”newsPakistan, with its 5,218 glaciers and 2420 glacial lakes – 52 of which have been classified as potentially dangerous – has launched its first climate change adaptation project aimed at tackling the threats communities face from bursting glacier lakes in the country’s northern mountains. The US$ 4.1 million project in... Read more » |
![]() Workshop on monitoring the effects of climate change in protected mountain ecosystemsnewsThrough REDPARQUES and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and with support from GIZ, FAO organized a "Workshop on monitoring the effects of climate change on mountain protected ecosystems" together with the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University for International Cooperation and the Development Bank in Latin America, The workshop... Read more » |
![]() Matterhorn disintegrating in the face of global warmingnewsThe University of Zurich reported the negative effects climate change is having on the Matterhorn in the Geophysical Research journal. The 14,690 foot high Matterhorn sits on the border between Switzerland and Italy and is one of the most majestic and best known and most inspirational mountains in the world.... Read more » |
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