The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) urges everyone to share stories and photos from the mountain region to highlight climate change impacts and #SaveOurSnow
It is 70 years since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first scaled Everest. In that time, global temperature rises have put Everest and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region in the danger zone. Glaciers are melting and retreating at an alarming rate, and based on current projections, two-thirds will disappear in the next 70 years.
The climate emergency is here and now for Everest and for the people and nature across the HKH. Extreme weather events, floods, drought, and food insecurity are already upending lives and devastating livelihoods throughout the region, as seen in the Pakistan floods last year.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the leading institute dedicated to mountain communities and the environment, is calling on everyone that cares about the region to join forces and campaign to #SaveOurSnow.
ICIMOD urges individuals, organizations, and institutions at all levels, from global leaders and intrepid climbers to local communities and scientists, to join forces and shed light on the dire situation facing the HKH. By sharing stories and photographs capturing the profound changes brought about by climate change in these mountains, supporters of the campaign can amplify the call for action and bring global attention to the plight of the region.
“Those of us who study, live in or climb in the mountains are eyewitnesses to the terrifying speed of changes happening in our cryosphere – often caused by actions taken millions of miles away. We are calling on everyone who love these fragile places to raise their voice about the impacts of continued inaction on emissions reductions and to call for world leaders and businesses to speed up the transition to renewables to #SaveOurSnow.” - Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, ICIMOD glaciologist and grandson of Kancha Sherpa, the last remaining survivor of the first expedition.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first ascent to Mt Everest, we are also reminded about the great heights we still need to scale when addressing climate change. The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), strongly supports the urgent plea from mountain communities, climbers, and scientists for immediate global action to address climate change. We encourage our mountain research community to join us in amplifying the effort by signing the declaration and sharing first-hand stories showcasing the transformations in our changing mountains. Let’s support the call to protect Earth’s mountains, snow, and ice and secure a sustainable future for Everest and the entire HKH region.
This news was first released by ICIMOD. You can find the original here.
Cover image by Success Dhamala
