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impacts of climate change
A series of articles by Bund/Friends of the
Earth Germany - 1st published in Frankfurter
Rundschau
Climate Change in
Nepal
Nepal's vast changes in altitude over a
comparatively small area make the country
particularly susceptible to climate change.
The lowest point in Nepal is 60 meters, while
the highest is 8848 meters, and the climate
varies dramatically from tropical to
alpine.
Nepal's
annual average temperature has risen by 0.06
degrees Celsius, and three snow-fed rivers
have already shown signs of reduced flows.
But the temperature in the Himalayas is
increasing twice as fast, which is having
serious impact on glaciers and glacial
lakes.
The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers is
increasing the volume of water in glacial
lakes. When these lakes become too full, they
threaten to burst in torrential floods,
called glacial lake outburst floods. These
events cause extensive damage to roads,
bridges, trekking trails, and villages, and
people have also been killed by these events.
At least 12 of these glacial lake outburst
flows have been reported to date, and with
continued regional warming, these events are
likely become more common.
Twenty of
Nepal's 2,300 glacial lakes are identified as
potentially dangerous for glacial lake
outburst floods. But among these lakes, only
one has mitigation measures in place.
In a few decades, when the glaciers have
melted, water level in rivers will decline,
meaning massive economic and environmental
problems for people in Western China, Nepal,
and Northern India.
Sagarmatha National
Park
Sagarmatha National Park is dominated by
Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.
The park is an area of exceptional natural
beauty with dramatic mountains, glaciers and
deep valleys, and it has been designated a
World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
But climate change seriously threatens the
park's glaciers and its ecosystems.
Currently in the Himalayas, 67 percent of
glaciers are rapidly retreating. The Rika
Samba in the Dhaulagiri region is retreating
at a rate of 10 meters per year. This is very
unusual as glacial movement is usually
measured in millimeters.
This glacial
melting will eventually leave Sagarmatha
National Park snowless, and will destroy the
habitats of the endangered species in the
park, such as the Snow Leopard and the Lesser
Panda.
Friends of the Earth-Nepal has filed a
claim at the United Nations to request the
inclusion of Sagarmatha National Park in the
list of world heritage in danger as a result
of climate change and to ask for protective
measures and action.
Nepal's share in the global emission of
greenhouse gases is almost nothing, but the
consequences of global warming and climate
change threaten to wash away vast areas of
the country, including the region that is
home to Mount Everest.
The Need for Action
It is imperative that actions are taken to
cut greenhouse gas emissions around the world
so that there is some chance of limiting the
most severe impacts of global warming, like
the loss of sacred places like Mount
Everest.
Action must be taken by the largest
emitters of greenhouse gases, such as the
Group of 8 (G8) countries. These countries
represent just 13 per cent of the world's
population, but account for 45 per cent of
greenhouse gas emissions.
It is also important to get developing
countries like Nepal on clean, renewable
energy paths. There are clean alternatives to
fossil fuels for power generation and energy,
such as wind power, solar power, small
hydropower, and biofuels, which should be
fully explored as options for developing
countries.
There is also a need to prepare people for
the impacts of climate change that are
already occurring. In Nepal, climate change
is going to seriously impact the country's
water resources. Action is needed to help
people understand what climate change means
and to protect the poorest people from its
effects.
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