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02/09/2010
Planet Action annual Call for Projects – 30 November 2010
30 November 2010 is the deadline for submitting projects to Planet Action. Planet Action is a non-profit initiative launched by Spot Image and joined by other partners, aimed at supporting local projects acting on Climate Change-related issues by providing geographic information, satellite images and technology to NGOs, universities, research centers. The current call for proposals addresses local projects that investigate and assess climate change focusing on human issues, drought & desertification, water resources, forestry, biodiversity, oceans, ice, or awareness raising. More ...
02/09/2010
Video Report on the energy efficiency project of CAMP Alatoo, Kyrgyzstan
A video report on the energy efficiency project of CAMP Alatoo in Kyrgyzstan has been produced and broadcasted by Deutsche Welle TV as a part of the globalization magazine GLOBAL 3000 on DW-TV (Germany). The video is online, along with other climate series, and is available as on-demand video. More ...
01/09/2010
Summiteers Summit to Save the Himalaya – 21 September 2010
The "Summiteers Summit to Save the Himalaya" awareness rally, an initiative organized by the Government of Nepal, will be held on 21 September 2010 at 4:00 pm in New York. Everest Summiteers from Nepal and climbers from around the world will march through the streets of New York, towards the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in front of the United Nations Building. The initiative aims to highlight the impact of climate change on the Himalayas during the UN General Assembly, which is held at the same time. More ...
30/08/2010
Engineers to drain water from Alpine glacier
Engineers in France have recently started work to drain an immense lake that has built up under the Tete Rousse glacier, situated 3,200 meters (10,560 feet) up Mont Blanc. Specialists are now drilling into the glacier as part of preparations to slowly pump out the 65,000 cubic meters (2,275,000 cubic feet) of liquid believed trapped beneath. The operation is intended to prevent the repeat of a disaster as in 1892, when flood waters burst from the buried lake to the valley, killing 175 people. More ...
30/08/2010
Mountain Partnership side event at CoP10 on “Mountain biological diversity” - 21 October 2010, Nagoya, JAPAN
On 21 October 2010 a side event on “Mountain biological diversity” will be organized by the Mountain Partnership at the Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CoP10) in Nagoya, JAPAN (16:30/18:00, Room 212A - Bldg 2, 1st Floor). The side event will identify challenges and constraints on the way to achieve enhanced implementation of the mountain biological diversity work programme. Innovative examples and cases from governments, civil society, IGOs and the private sector which led to effective results will be provided. The event will also demonstrate the importance of working in close collaboration through new partnerships and it will highlight the role and importance of the Mountain Partnership. More ...
27/08/2010
Transport in Mountains: An International Workshop – 21-27 November 2010, Kathmandu
From 21 to 27 November 2010 an International workshop on Transport in Mountains will be organised in Kathmandu, NEPAL by the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) supported by its affiliate National Network in Nepal, the Nepal Forum for Rural Transport and Development (NFRTD) and its members in Nepal. This International workshop is a platform to share and exchange experiences of transport in mountainous terrain, to explore controversies as well as learning from one another and identifying viable solutions. Further information is available in the website. The deadline for early-bird registration is 29 August. More ...
27/08/2010
Why Pakistan monsoons support evidence of global warming
Lord Julian Hunt, visiting Professor at Delft University and former Director-General of the UK Met Office, on 20 August expressed on REUTERS’ blog his belieF that Pakistan monsoons support evidence of global warming. The unusually large rainfall from this year’s monsoon has caused the most catastrophic flooding in Pakistan for 80 years, with the U.N. estimating that around one fifth of the country is underwater. Heavy monsoon precipitation has increased in frequency in Pakistan and Western India in recent years. In addition, the thickness of ice over the Tibetan plateau is decreasing and changing patterns of precipitation, with less snow at higher levels, plus more rapid run off from mountains. More ...
27/08/2010
Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) - Call for proposals (Deadline 1 October 2010)
The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) based in Washington DC, USA has launched a Call for proposals establishing as deadline for the October allocations the 1 October 2010. The GAFSP aims to improve the income and food security of poor people in developing countries through more and better public and private sector investment in agriculture and rural development that is country-owned and led. More ...
27/08/2010
World's highest island glacier vanishing
Last June, scientists in a team led by alpine glaciologist Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University, drilled ice core samples from the glacier on Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia, which is quickly melting away. Ice cores extracted from one of the last tropical glaciers in the Pacific where sent to the United States, where researchers will spend the coming months scrutinizing them. The glaciologists hope the new data could lead to better predictions on how the climate changes in the tropics. More ...
26/08/2010
New mountainous sites added to the UNESCO List of Natural World Heritage sites
Following IUCN’s recommendations, the landscapes of La Reunion Island (France), the Siberian Putorana Plateau (Russian Federation) and the Phoenix Islands Protected Areas (Kiribati) have been added to the List of Natural World Heritage sites by UNESCO. The Committee also decided to add Danxia (China) to the List, as well as the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka), Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Hawaii, USA). Two other natural sites were extended upon IUCN’s advice: Monte San Giorgio, from Switzerland to Italy, and Pirin National Park in Bulgaria. More ...
26/08/2010
Six Vacancies at ICIMOD
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Kathmandu, Nepal is now seeking a Project Secretary, a Senior Hydrologist, a Team Leader - Rangeland Resources Management/Rangeland Specialist, Regional Database Expert, an Assistant Project Coordinator and a Director of Programme Operations (DPO). Terms of reference are available in the website. More ...
26/08/2010
IUFRO is seeking for an Executive Director
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is seeking to appoint an Executive Director to serve as its chief executive officer based at the Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, as of 1 November 2010. The present Executive Director Dr. Peter Mayer has been appointed Director-General of the Austrian Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), where the IUFRO Headquarters are located. The full announcement of the position is available in the website. Applications should be sent so no later than 30 September 2010. More ...
25/08/2010
Climate Himalaya Initiative’s news portal on Climate Change
The Climate Himalaya Initiative has a dedicated news portal that updates the Climate Change related news on regular basis. The ongoing includes Pakistan Floods, Leh Cloudburst, Climate Change Modelling, Domestic Actions by countries, Actions by Asian countries, Cancun Climate Summit. There are also options for subscription, membership and social networking. More ...
25/08/2010
‘AgKnowledge Africa’ Share Fair - 18-21 October, 2010
The ‘AgKnowledge Africa’ Share Fair, organized by FAO in collaboration with CGIAR, IFAD and CT, will be held on 18-21 October 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The fair will showcase the ways agricultural and rural knowledge in and of Africa is created, shared, communicated and applied, by using a wide range of modes of sharing knowledge. 5 September 2010 is the deadline for sending cases, models and examples from Africa. Further information is available on the website. More ...
24/08/2010
FAO response plans to Pakistan Floods 2010
Following the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s history in July 2010, FAO and its partners in the Agriculture Cluster are working to scale up response plans and funding requirements. The heavy monsoon rains caused flash and riverine floods which have affected around 15.4 million people and 12 000 villages, with at least 1 402 dead and 893 000 homes destroyed. It is essential that every effort is made to meet the urgent needs of Pakistani farmers on time, averting further livestock losses and supporting the upcoming Rabi wheat planting season, beginning in September/October 2010. More ...
24/08/2010
High-level Meeting Prepares Road Map for Climate Summit
A high Level Technical Consultative Meeting on ‘Sacred Himalayas for Water, Livelihoods, and Bio-cultural Heritage’ organised by ICIMOD and the Royal Government of Bhutan was held on 18-20 August 2010 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Experts presented four papers on water, energy, biodiversity and food security outlining the emerging issues, gaps and challenges in the region and suggested a way forward for carrying out national and regional consultations. More ...
23/08/2010
Retreat of Tibetan Plateau Glaciers threatens Water Supply and Food Security in Asia
The Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) has published in August 2010 a briefing report regarding the retreat of Tibetan Plateau Glaciers caused by Global Warming and the related threats to water supply and food security in Asia. Since the 1950′s, warming in excess of 1ºC on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas has contributed to retreat of more than 80% of the glaciers. As the Himalayan glaciers seasonally release meltwater into tributaries of the major Asian rivers, melting glaciers endangers the fresh water supply and food security of billions of people in Asia. The warming also contributes to the land use changes, especially melting of permafrost, which could result in significant carbon loss. More ...
23/08/2010
Europe's mountains: rich in biodiversity but increasingly vulnerable
On 28 July 2010 the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a new assessment of Europe’s mountain ecosystems. This document is the eighth in the series of “10 messages for 2010”, focusing on specific ecosystems or issues related to biodiversity in Europe. Covering 36 % of the continent (29 % of the European Union), mountain ecosystems provide recreation and economic opportunities for humans as well as a home to a rich variety of plant and animal species. Increasingly, however, these areas are threatened by land abandonment, unsustainable exploitation and climate change. Hence, the EEA’s assessment indicates that managing mountains sustainably relies on effective policies and actions at regional and local levels. More ...
02/08/2010
Rohtang Pass : India launched the works for a five mile tunnel under the Himalaya
In June, India started the works for building a five mile tunnel through the Pir Panjal range, Himalaya at the border with the Tibet. The tunnel will pass under the Rohtang Pass, which is sadly known for the few dozen people dying while trying to cross it every winter, when the main road is completely snowbound. The tunnel will turn an ordeal of several hours, even in the summer, into a brisk 20-minute trip. The ambitious project of the Indian State, originally proposed by Indira Gandhi, will be accomplished in five years, assuming not too many technical problems will occur. More ...
23/07/2010
Christiana Figueres takes the helm at UNFCCC
On 8 July 2010 Christiana Figueres has taken up her post as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Ms Figueres assumes leadership of the secretariat following extensive experience of high-level work across all areas of climate change, including as a member of the Costa Rican negotiating team since 1995. She becomes the fourth executive secretary of the UNFCCC. More ...
21/07/2010
XIII IUFRO World Congress
The International Union of Forests Research Organization (IUFRO) is organizing its XIII World Congress, entitled Forests for the Future: Sustaining Society and the Environment, from 23 to 28 August 2010. The XIII IUFRO World Congress will take place at the COEX Centre, in Seoul City. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research and projects conducted by the world's leading forest scientists and experts in related fields. Registration instructions and schedule programme are available in the website. More ...
19/07/2010
UIAA introduces new Executive Director
The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) President Mike Mortimer is pleased to announce that on July 1 Ingo Nicolay has been appointed new Executive Director. Ingo has relevant credentials, being involved in business as well as in non-for- profit organizations. He has been the president of the Heilbronn Section of the DAV, the German alpine club, counting 10.000 members. The UIAA President also expresses his gratitude to Ingo's predecessor, Judith Safford, for all of her hard work in UIAA. More ...
14/07/2010
Call for papers on "Resource Efficiency in Mountains" (submit articles by 15 October 2010)
Mountain Research and Development (MRD) is planning an issue focusing on "Resource Efficiency in Mountains." With this issue, MRD aims at contributing novel research insights and validated development experiences to the 10 Year Framework Program of the Marrakech Process that will be launched in February 2011. We assume that experiences of, and insights into, efficient use of natural resources in mountain areas will benefit an audience beyond the "mountain research and development communities." MRD is a quarterly open access journal that publishes peer-reviewed articles presenting original research on mountain environments and people, sustainable mountain development, and mountain development experiences. More ...
14/07/2010
International Symposium - Adaptation to Climate Change in the HKH Region
The deadline for submission of abstracts for the International Symposium "Benefiting from Earth Observation: Bridging the Data Gap for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region" is 31 July 2010. The International Symposium will be held from 4 to 6 October 2010 in Kathmandu, Nepal, foreseeing six sessions focusing on specific issues. Schedule programme, registration and further information are available in the website. More ...
08/07/2010
Sustainable Mobility in Mountain Areas - Joint Session of two European Projects from the Alpine Space Programme
On 13 July 2010, the Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Mr. Douglas McGuire will give a speech on "Sustainable Mobility in Mountain Areas", at 12:45 at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The speech will introduce the Joint Session of the Partners Meetings on the projects TRANSITECTS and Alpcheck2, both co-financed in the framework of the European Programme Alpine Space and dedicated to sustainable mobility and transport in mountain areas. More ...
08/07/2010
"Horizon Field" - 100 sculptures to invade the Austrian Alps
One hundred life-size sculptures are being set up in the Austrian Alps by English artist Anthony Gormley as part of the art project “Horizon Field” this summer. The installation concerns an area of 150 square kilometres in the mountains around Vorarlberg and it intends to represent the complex relationship among human beings and mountains. More ...
06/07/2010
The “Keep K2 Clean” Campaign
“Keep K2 Clean”, an expedition to clean the K2, has been organized by the Italian Committee EvK2Cnr to start on 11 July 2010 from Skardu which is the principal town of the region Baltistan, gateway for several peaks. The expedition will stay there until mid August. Another expedition, also organized by the Committee EvK2Cnr, left to clean the Karakorum glacier on the Baltoro Mountain last 10 May. Maurizio Gallo, the Committee’s technical consultant for Pakistan, stressed not only the environmental but also the educational value of these expeditions.
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06/07/2010
Exit Strategies Conference - Managing Human Waste in the Wild
The American Alpine Club is organizing the Conference “Exit Strategies - Managing Human Waste in the Wild”, to be held on 30-31 July and 1 August 2010 at the American Mountaineering Centre Golden, in Colorado. Top land managers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders from around the globe are invited to participate in the Conference aiming to discuss and formulate strategies for managing human waste in remote areas. Schedule programme and registration form are available in the website. More ...
02/07/2010
Forum Alpinum, Munich 2010 - The metropolises and their Alps
The Forum Alpinum “The metropolises and their Alps” will be held from 6 to 9 October 2010 in Munich (Germany). It will explore the relationship between the Alps and large adjacent cities like Munich or Milano from scientific and political angles. Plenary talks and workshops will focus on topics such as urbanization, mobility, biodiversity, climate change and geo-risks and geo-resources. The schedule programme and instructions for registering to the conference are available in the website.
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29/06/2010
Launch of the FAO’s Right to Food on-line Glossary
The FAO Terminology team, together with the Right to Food Team, have launched an online glossary totalling 418 main concepts on the Right to Food. The glossary is covering English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian languages (the Arabic version is in progress). By giving multilingual clarity in terminology dissemination, this collaborative tool with full workflow functions, will contribute to raise awareness on the right to food and on the practical implementation of the Right to Food Guidelines adopted by FAO Council in 2004.
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29/06/2010
Biodiversity in the Alps: CIPRA Annual Report 2009
The CIPRA International's latest Annual Report 2009 which focuses on "Biodiversity in the Alps" is now available. For decades CIPRA has been committed to biological diversity in the Alps. In 2009 CIPRA has promoted efforts aimed at preserving the rich diversity of flora and fauna with a number of projects. The Annual Report can be downloaded from the website or either ordered free of charge writing to international@cipra.org (tel. +423 237 53 53). More ...
28/06/2010
Regional Flood Information System in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) organized an inception meeting on 23-25 June 2010 in Kathmandu to launch a project establishing a regional flood information system in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH). The project is supported by the Government of Finland and is being implemented by ICIMOD in close collaboration with the WMO and six regional partner countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). The overall objective of the project is to minimize loss of lives and livelihoods by reducing flood vulnerability in the HKH region, with specific reference to the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Indus river basins.
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23/06/2010
International Climbers' Festival, Wyoming
The 17th International Climbers' Festival, organized by local Lander climbers together with other partners, is running on July 7-11, in Lander, Wyoming. The festival will offer climbing training sessions targeted to different people's needs and yoga sessions as well as clean-ups activities. Presentations, live music, trade shows are also scheduled. The ICF is a non-profit organization that was started by local Lander climbers in 1993. Located in central Wyoming, Lander sits at the base of the spectacular granite-filled Wind River Range, which has some of the best Alpine routes in the country. Just outside of town are the legendary sport-climbing crags of Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris, where you can find single pitch sport and traditional climbing as well as bouldering with grades for families. More detailed information on the fest schedule is available on the website.
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17/06/2010
Kick-off for a new Alpine media house
The "Las-Alps Infoteca" project was launched by the broadcasting corporation RTR Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha at the end of April in Chur/CH. It aims to become a centre for media products that are relevant to the Alps. The project will be realized in two phases: in the first phase the focus will be on the provision of media products, in the second the centre will also produce and market its own products. A translation service for the languages spoken in the Alps, including the minority languages Rhaeto-Romance, Ladinish and Cimbrian, will be set up as well. Further promoters are sought. Details of the project will be made public at a meeting in mid-November. More ...
14/06/2010
E-discussion for improving Local Governance in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) launches an e-discussion on ‘Improving Local Governance in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas: Documenting Good Governance Practices and Lessons Learnt’, to be held from 14 June to 30 June 2010.
The e-discussion aims at collecting expert views on ways and approaches that have in the past resolved issues on local governance problems in natural resource management within the context of mountain development. Participants from ICIMOD’s eight member countries but also from mountain communities other than the HKH region are invited to share their knowledge in order to explore the root causes of poor local governance practices in mountain areas (Week One: 14–20 June 2010), as well as to identify good practices, effective approaches, and lessons learnt for implementing good local governance practices in the context of mountain development (Week Two: 21 – 27 June 2010).
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11/06/2010
China, Nepal reach historic biodiversity agreement
The State Forestry Administration of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation of the Government of Nepal signed on 3 June 2010 a Memorandum of Understanding on environment and biodiversity conservation. This pledge between China and Nepal has an historical value, as it engages the two countries in working together for the first time to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity. They agreed to implement the obligations of international multilateral environmental agreements and conventions, following the world’s governments have not met the 2002 promise to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity.
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08/06/2010
The UN website 'Greening the Blue' launch on World Environment Day
To mark World Environment Day - 5th June 2010, the United Nations (UN) has launched a new website, www.greeningtheblue.org, to highlight progress in moving towards a climate-neutral UN, and to raise awareness of how staff can get involved in this important work. www.greeningtheblue.org provides information on what the UN is doing to reduce levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The website contains case studies of how UN organizations are reducing the environmental impact of their work across many functions and activities.
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07/06/2010
Pittsburgh — A United Nations World Environment Day Host City
During the six weeks from April 22 to June 5 2010, Pittsburgh-area government officials, business indexes, organizations and individuals hosted a series of World Environment Day events. The city was selected by the United Nations Environment Programme to join World Environment Day 2010 for the North America, (UNEP). All the events contributed in highlighting the theme for celebrations in Pittsburgh, “Biodiversity — Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy”.
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02/06/2010
Tourist municipalities facing climate change examples from Alps
The network of municipalities "Alliance dans les Alpes" is organizing the 14th General Assembly and annual Conference on 4 and 5 June 2010 in Kamnik (Slovenia). The event will focus on tourist municipalities dealing with climate change in mountain areas. Best practices and concrete solutions developed to face climate change within the Alpine area will also be addressed.
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02/06/2010
ITE Congress - Beyond Copenhagen, choices to manage about transports and infrastructures
The ITE - European Transport Initiative is organizing a Congress to be held in Cuneo on Friday 4 June 2010. ITE is an international network linking together several European organizations which are fostering an environmental consistent policy for freight transport in sensitive areas. The organizations are mainly from the Alpine Arch, Pyrenees as well as from Vosges.
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01/06/2010
The Climate Himalaya Initiative
To coincide with the World Environment Day on 5 June, the Times Foundation New Delhi together with the IWRS IIT Roorkee, the Environ Remedies Dehradun and the Prakriti group are launching the 'Climate Himalaya Initiative'. The event will be held at the at Indian Water Resources Society-IWRS, Department of Water Resources Development & Management, Indian Institute of Technology-IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand, India. Speeches from experts in Environment and Climate Change issues, as well as an open forum for discussions will follow the official launch. The detailed program schedule will be sent on 3 June 2010. Those who want to attend should communicate so by 2 June.
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27/05/2010
The HKH Conservation Portal - ICIMOD
To coincide with the International Day for Biological Diversity, ICIMOD has launched a Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) Conservation Portal, containing biodiversity and conservation related information. The portal is intended as a platform for sharing data and knowledge, aiming at reducing informational gaps and facilitating standardisation among the countries in the region. It will allow free access to primary and secondary data as well as information on protected areas, corridors, biodiversity elements, and some socioeconomic features of landscapes, including maps. Though the portal’s creation is still in progress, some databases, information and maps have already been uploaded and made available for users.
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27/05/2010
Famed climber takes climate message to Everest
The WWF Climate Ambassador and famed climber Apa Sherpa takes climate message to the Everest on the 22nd of May. Having reached the Everest summit for a record 20th time, he unfurled a banner containing the message “You heard our voice, now raise yours – We can stop climate change in the Himalayas”. Apa carried the banner during the Eco Everest Expedition, led by fellow Climate Ambassador Dawa Steven Sherpa.
Apa is not new to this kind of actions: last year he carried another banner during his then record-breaking 19th Everest ascent, warning the world of the dangerous impacts of climate change in the Himalayas. Following that event, Apa and Dawa Steven Sherpa, have been actively engaged in the WWF-led Climate for Life Campaign, which led to the Himalayas getting significant attention in the global debate on climate change. More ...
25/05/2010
World Climate Teach-In Day
Tackling the global challenge of climate change also implies raising awareness within schools and universities, in order to engage young people and future professionals to search for local solutions. This is the central aim of the "World Climate Teach-In Day", to be held on 4th June 2010, one day before the World Environment Day. Under the patronage of EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences/Germany organizes this worldwide event in the frame of its "International Climate Change Information Programme" (ICCIP). University lecturers and teachers are encouraged to hold a 1-hour lecture on climate change and discuss with their students one of today's most important topics. Pre-formatted lectures can be downloaded free of any charges from the website. Furthermore, students could discuss the topic with other students from all over the world in an online forum.
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24/05/2010
Mountain Biodiversity Portal
The GMBA/GBIF Mountain Biodiversity Portal is now online.
Its main aim is gathering the GBIFs biodiversity data regarding mountains of the world, which can be examined or downloaded by users. You can select search areas from region to globe, or mountain life zones by range of elevation or thermal belts. Mountain areas are defined by ruggedness of terrain, using WORLDCLIM digital elevation data. The Mountain Biodiversity Portal is part of the Mountain Programme of the Convention on Biological Diversity recently discussed in Nairobi. Furthermore, it is GMBA/DIVERSITAS' contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity 2010.
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18/05/2010
HKH Countries collaborate on sharing biological resources and traditional knowledge
Government representatives from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan agreed to collaborate on developing regional approaches to ‘access and benefit sharing of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge (ABS)’ at a side event during the 14th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-14) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Nairobi, Kenya on 17th May. The event was organised by ICIMOD in partnership with the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) countries to discuss the status of implementation of CBD Programme of Work on Mountain Biodiversity (PoW-MB), whose overall purpose is the significant reduction of mountain biodiversity loss by 2010, as well as contributing to poverty alleviation in mountain ecosystems and lowlands dependent on the goods and services they provide.
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18/05/2010
The Dolomiti – Unesco Foundation
The "Dolomiti - Dolomiten - Dolomites - Dolomitis UNESCO Foundation" was established on the 13th of May 2010. It follows the decision of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which added the Dolomites to the world natural heritage property at the Seville meeting on 26th June 2009. Five different Italian Provinces are jointly coordinating and managing the Dolomiti’s conservation and enhancement policies, by means of the Foundation. These are Trento, Belluno, Bolzano, Pordenone, Udine. The Foundation's Head Office will be in Belluno, and after three years, it will be moved in Bolzano
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17/05/2010
The International Day for Biological Diversity
The theme for the International Day for Biodiversity (IDB), which will be celebrated on 22 May 2010, is Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Alleviation. The planet’s species and habitats, and the goods and services they provide, form the basis of our wealth, our health and our well-being. Yet, despite repeated global commitments to protect this heritage, the variety of life on Earth continues to decline at an unprecedented rate. Biodiversity loss is moving ecological systems ever closer to a tipping point beyond which they will no longer be able to fulfil their vital functions. Designation of IDB 2010 on the theme of development provides Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and those dealing with development, opportunity to raise awareness of the issue and increase practical action. The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year, IDB is part of the International Year of Biodiversity. More ...
17/05/2010
International Consortium on Landslides Meeting
From 17 to 19 May the Forestry Department and FAO’s Working Group on Disaster Risk Management will host the 2010 Steering Committee Meeting of the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL). The event will include the inaugural meeting of the Organising Committee for the 2nd World Landslide Forum which FAO will host in the first week of October next year. For further information please contact Thomas.Hofer@fao.org
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12/05/2010
Mountain Partnership side event in CSD -New York
The side event Sustainable Mobility in Mountain Areas, organized by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat is being held today at the 18th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 18). The event will feature presentations by representatives of the transport sector, from scientific research institutions, and from the Carpathian and Alpine regions, as well as Nepal. It aims at sharing experiences and lessons learned through innovative and successful projects and research initiatives in the field of sustainable mobility, highlighting in particular the impact of new roads on the livelihoods of mountain populations. More ...
11/05/2010
I'm Mad as Hell
FAO today unveiled a major online petition calling on people to get angry at the fact that close to a billion people suffer from hunger. Using a whistle as a campaign icon and an innovative online petition as a campaigning tool, “The 1billionhungry project” gives people around the globe the chance to express their discontent that in the 21st century remains a widespread problem. More ...
10/05/2010
Greenland glacier slides faster in summer
A glacier in Greenland slides up to 220 percent faster towards the sea in summer than in winter and global warming could mean a wider acceleration that would raise sea levels, according to a study published on Sunday. A group of experts led by Ian Bartholomew at Edinburgh University in Scotland said the variability was much stronger than earlier observations of glacier movement in Greenland More ...
29/04/2010
U.N.'s Environmental Housekeeping in Chaos, Internal Report Shows
The U.N. is telling countries how to save the planet, but its own environmental housekeeping is a 'scattered' mess, according to a report by a special group of internal investigators.Among other things, the group, known as the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), found that the U.N. efforts at setting internal guidelines on environmental housekeeping and management across its sprawling network of global organizations are "uncoordinated ad hoc efforts" that "continue to be scattered." Almost all U.N. organizations, when queried, could not break out financial data on any measures or specific spending on environmental measures on their own account. More ...
22/04/2010
Biodiversity and Spirituality in the High Andes
On the occasion of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, on Thursday 22 April the NGO Yachay Wasi sponsors “Biodiversity and Spirituality in the High Andes”, the side event of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issue. The event, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme NY Office, regards Indigenous sacred sites as concrete symbols of the unity of Indigenous spirituality and environment. The event will be attended by Juanita Castaño, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme; Elisa Canqui Mollo, Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; Luis Delgado Hurtado, President of Yachay Wasi and Sandra Ramos Delgado,Youth leader of Yachay Wasi. More ...
19/04/2010
Peru glacier break worries ecologists, government officials
A Peruvian glacier break is worrying ecologists and government officials amid fears other glacier disasters may be on way. A state of emergency was in force in the Ancash region in central Peru as authorities rushed to evacuate nearby valleys and isolated communities. The huge Adean glacier broke off and plunged into a lake near the town of Carhuaz, in Ancash province, causing huge waves and massive property damage. Patricio Vaderrama, a glacier expert at the Institute of Mine Engineers, said the wave would had been at least the height of the levee to be able to smash the barriers. Analysts said Peru appeared ill-prepared for climate change, which could see its tropical ice fields disappear altogether, in the region.
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12/04/2010
Climate Himalaya Initiative
The Climate Himalaya Initiative of Prakriti group India,will be launched on the occasion of World Environment Day 5 June 2010. The purpose of this initiative is to advocate for an obligatory reform in the present environment governance system in the Himalayan region of India. Initially this web based platform will develop a scientific 'Knowledge Resource Hub' on various environment and climate change issues in the Himalayan Mountains of India, and will later expand to a larger scientific and professional network. For further information please visit: http://www.mountainenvironment.org or http://www.prakriti-india.org/ More ...
12/04/2010
Record of Pollution in the Himalayan regions
This year, the Everest and other Himalayan peaks have reported, during the pre - monsoon season, alarming data of air pollution comparable to urban centres. This was the outcome of the Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment (SHARE) project, promoted by the Ev-K2-CNR Committee and highlighted from studies from the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) of Bologna and the “Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement - Centre national de la recherche scientifique” of Grenoble. The research centre was performed at the Nepal Climate Observatory, the Ev-K2-CNR scientific laboratory for the study of atmospheric composition change and climate installed at 5079 m a.s.l. of the Everest slope.
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26/03/2010
Race to save Pakistan's valley from devastating flash flood
In Islamabad, Pakistan, Army engineers are battling against time and the threat of seismic shakes to save a 500km stretch of northern Pakistan from being devastated by a potential flash flood. Since January 4, a massive landslide dammed a river in the mountainous area of Hunza creating a lake that continues to rise steadily. The temporary lake has since grown dramatically and now stretches 15km back from the blockage, and is more than 70 metres deep. David Petley, director of the International Landslide Centre at Durham University in the United Kingdom said: “It would be a prudent conclusion to assume the worst when the water reaches the top, at which point it would be sensible to evacuate all the people downstream.”
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22/03/2010
World Water Day 2010
An estimated 884 million people worldwide do not have access to potable water. Population growth and increasing urbanization and chemical pollution are the main factors contributing to the deterioration of water quality. In a message delivered on World Water Day, UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, stressed the need for investment to improve water quality. “We already possess the scientific knowledge to make immediate progress in providing clean water and purification facilities, but the finance has to follow. Scientists are developing novel and ingenious ways to protect surface and underground water from pollution and to ensure better water management.”
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17/03/2010
Mount Rinjani proposed as UNESCO global geopark
Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, may soon be classified a geopark, a nationally protected area containing a number of geological heritage sites of importance, rarity or aesthetic appeal. An official at the province’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Heriyadi Rahmat, said UNESCO had accepted nominations to include Mount Rinjani in the global geopark network.
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17/03/2010
Great Himalayan Trail: trekking's holy grail
World Expeditions is organizing a guided trip along the completed section of the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT). For the first time walkers can take a guided trek traversing the entire length of the Himalayas in Nepal. Stretching for 1,700 km along the length of Nepal, the GHT will take a mere 157 days to be completed. Participants can see eight of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000m including Everest, and cross passes reaching up to 6,000m climbing a total of 150,000m. The Nepal stretch of the Great Himalayan Trail opens in February 2011.
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16/03/2010
2010 Red Rock Rendezvous
Located about 15 miles west of Las Vegas, the Red Rock escarpment offers an estimated 1,700 different climbing routes of all grades and lengths. The area, officially named the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area(RRCNCA)and administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, will host the 7th edition of the American largest outdoor climbing festival. The festival will go on from Friday 19 until Sunday 21 March. All climbers, from beginner to advanced, can enjoy on this occasion plenty of challenging clinics.
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16/03/2010
Protected areas helping people cope with climate change
“Managing natural ecosystems as carbon sinks and resources for adaptation is increasingly recognised as a necessary, efficient and relatively cost-effective strategy to help reduce climate change impacts”, asserts Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, in his preface on the book “Natural Solutions”. The world’s protected area network already helps mitigate and adapt to climate change. These areas store 15 per cent of terrestrial carbon and supply ecosystem services for disaster reduction, water supply, food and public health, all of which enable community-based adaptation.
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10/03/2010
Half a million Ugandans at risk of landslides
300,000 people in Eastern Uganda have left their homes and 500,000 are at risk of being hit by landslides. "Since it is continuing to rain, we are likely to experience more landslides", said the Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru. Ecweru said that those displaced in the districts of Butaleja, Budaka and Tororo have lost all their food crops and livestock, which were washed away by floods , and are now in need of relief. He attributed the landslides to increasing population which has led people to settle on mountain slopes.
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09/03/2010
Global biodiversity loss increases
Ahmed Djoghlaf, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, warned that unprecedented biodiversity loss is occurring. Today’s rate of species extinction may be 1,000 times higher than the natural rate. At this rate, one-third to two-thirds of all species of plants, animals, and other organisms would be lost during the second half of the next century. In the Andean Region less and less cultivable lands are available because of the absorption of carbon dioxide. According to the report, “Huella Ecológica y biocapacidad en la Comunidad Andina” from 1961 to 2005 biocapicity in Andean countries decreased of 65%. The most important cause seems to be population growth.
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02/03/2010
The new Latin-American Congress on Potatoes in Cusco
Potato genetic resources conservation will be the new central theme of the Latin-American Association on Potatoes Issues Congress of 2010 “Asociación Latinoamericana de la Papa” (ALAP) which will be held in Cuzco, Peru from 23rd to 28th of May. ALAP is organizing a special call for professors and researchers who want to make presentations, describe their work and debate on the issue of potatoes. The side event, “El Simposio Internacional de Recursos Genéticos de la Papa” (the International Symposium of Genetic Resources of Potatoes) will be also held on this occasion.
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23/02/2010
Climate meeting in April aims at reviving UN process
Talks will take place in April for planning the next steps in the effort toward a global treaty on climate change, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Lykke Friis said Monday. The meeting will take place in Bonn on 9-11 April gathering senior officials of signatories of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said Friis, whose country currently chairs the negotiating process. The date was set at a meeting of the UNFCCC bureau, tasked with drawing up a calendar of meetings for 2010 in the aftermath of the controversial climate summit in Copenhagen in December, the Danish news agency Ritzau said.
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18/02/2010
Tajikistan facing water shortages and climate extremes, report warns
The ancient, mountainous state of Tajikistan is facing water shortages, rising temperatures and climate extremes. A report released today by Oxfam details fast-rising temperatures, melting glaciers in the Pamir mountains, increased disease, drought, landslides and food shortages. Temperatures plummeted to -20C for more than a month in 2008-09 and temperatures in the south of the country near Afghanistan have risen several degrees above normal, said the report. About 20% of the country's 8,492 glaciers are in retreat and 30% more are likely to retreat or disappear by 2050, said Ilhomjon Rajabov, head of the state's climate change department. The largest glacier, Fedchenko, has lost 44 sq km, or 6% of its volume, in the last 34 years.
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15/02/2010
Climate scientist says Himalayan glacier report is 'robust and rigorous'
The scientist at the centre of the storm over mistakes by the UN's climate change panel defend his report as "robust and rigorous". Martin Parry, a climate expert at the Grantham Institute and Centre for Environmental Policy of London, said he was perplexed at the way the media has focused on what he called minor points. Parry was co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) working group on impacts, which produced the report with the false claim that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035. More ...
11/02/2010
Under pressure
Forests are globally important in regulating climate and are locally important in sustaining communities and supporting biodiversity. For this reason , IUCN is central to an emerging initiative called Growing Forest Partnerships (GFP). Funded by the World Bank, it supports partnerships and initiatives developed by forest-dependent people and those who use, manage or regulate forests. GFP is establishing a platform for civil society dialogue involving the various stakeholders about the approach towards developing forestry policy at the national and local levels. This partnership tackles the root causes of the world’s most pressing issues such as poverty, biodiversity loss and climate change. More ...
10/02/2010
Gojal claims for urgent attention
A month has passed since the devastating landslide of Atabad Hunza. The Karakoram Highway (KKH), the lifeline of communication between Pakistan and China lies blocked. The level of the lake rises by an average of 2.6 feet per day. The water has already inundated 3.5km. of KKH, 900 canals of land, thousands of orchards and 11 houses. According to experts, the lake could submerge 187 houses, displacing 1,736 people. The Frontier Works Organisation is working on the excavation of spillways. The authorities have given March 15 as the deadline for the release of the water.
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10/02/2010
Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability in the Eastern Himalayas
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) announces the release of the book, "Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability in the Eastern Himalayas". It highlights the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to climate change and the potential impacts on biodiversity, water availability, agriculture, hazards, and general human well-being. The book is an evaluation based on the results of surveys, workshops, stakeholder consultations, and technical papers which develops preliminary climate projections and assess climate change vulnerability. It aims to inform about conservation policy at a national and regional level, and stimulate the research on this matter. More ...
02/02/2010
The Equator Prize 2010
Equator Initiative announces the opening of the call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2010: Celebrating Community Success in Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction. The Equator Prize recognizes community-based initiatives that demonstrate extraordinary achievement in reducing poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt. Prize winners will receive worldwide recognition for their work as well as an opportunity to help shape national and global policy and practice in the field. The Equator Prize 2010 nomination process will be open until February 28th. More ...
01/02/2010
The erosion of biodiversity is as big a global challenge as climate change.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, opened the “Biodiversity Science Policy Conference” on Monday by underlining that preserving biological diversity represents “as big a global challenge as climate change”. A project was launched to create an intergovernmental platform on biodiversity and ecosystems services to promote exchange between scientists and policy-makers, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Jean-Louis Borloo, French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Sea, expressed hope that the platform would be established “before the end of the year”. More ...
25/01/2010
People decry government's inaction as lake threat rises
It is 23 days since the massive landslide hit Atabad village, blocking the Karakoram Highway, the only link land between China and Pakistan, bringing to halt the civic and commercial life in Gojal. An artificial glacial lake has formed on the Hunza River inundating a number of villages in Gojal. The rise in the level of the lake water is endangering thousands of lives upstream and downstream the Hunza and Gilgit districts. Niaz Wali, a geologist of Focus, informed that the water is rising with an average of 1.1 meters in 24 hours and the water inflow in the lake is 250 cubic meters per second. He said the inflow could increase with the rise in the temperature.
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19/01/2010
Himalayan glacier controversy
As the controversy over retreating Himalayan glaciers took a new turn, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, India stood vindicated with a UN body moving to retract its own warning that the glaciers would melt by 2035 due to climate change. Ramesh slammed as ‘alarmist’ the warning by Rajendra Pachauri’s Nobel-prize winning Inter-government Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the glaciers would vanish and said it was without any scientific basis. “The health of the glaciers is a cause of grave concern but the IPCC’s alarmist position was not based on scientific evidence; in fact, we had issued a report that the glaciers, have not retreated abnormally” Ramesh told reporters.
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18/01/2010
DynAlp-climate
Climate change is particularly noticeable in the Alps and for this reason the network of municipalities of the Alps has decided to support its members embracing a sustainable approach to the issue of climate change. The new dynAlp-climate programme was designed to incentivise municipalities in adopting specific activities on climate change. Alliance in the Alps promotes networking and the exchange of experience as part of dynAlp-climate by organising events at the local, regional and international level. It also plans to formulate policy positions for a sustainable and environmentally sound approach to climate change. More ...
07/01/2010
2010 International Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations is marking 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with a slew of events highlighting the vital role the phenomenon plays in maintaining the life support system on Planet Earth. “Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them,” said the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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21/12/2009
Villagers flee volcano danger zone
More than 3,000 villagers remaining in a no-go zone around the Philippines' rumbling Mayon volcano have started evacuating the area after officials threatened to force them out. Scientists have warned that powerful booms emanating from the country's most active volcano, located about 330 kilometres south-east of Manila, indicate that a major eruption is imminent. Just over 9,200 families or nearly 44,400 people have already taken shelter in the evacuation centres since Mayon started belching ash, steam and lava last week. The 2,460-metre volcano has erupted 48 times in recorded history.
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14/12/2009
The Alpine Climate Portal
On the occasion of the Copenhagen Talks and to honor the International Mountain Day, the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention launches the new Alpine Climate Portal. The webpage of the Alpine Convention on Climate Change has the purpose to contribute to the implementation of the Action Plan on Climate Change in the Alps adopted in March 2009 by the Contracting Parties of the Alpine Convention. The Alpine States have agreed to make the Alpine region a model region regarding the problem of climate change, and this website will be an interactive tool to support this objective. More ...
10/12/2009
UN chief optimistic of robust climate deal
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon predicted Tuesday that a robust agreement to combat climate change will be reached in Copenhagen and implemented immediately.Ban said for the Copenhagen conference to be a success, the agreement must include ambitious reductions in carbon emissions by developed countries as well as ambitious actions by poorer developing countries to curb emissions. Rich nations must also provide financial support and technological assistance to help developing countries limit their emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change, including floods and drought, he said. More ...
10/12/2009
International Mountain Day 2009
This year's International Mountain Day theme is Disaster Risk Management
Mountains are hazardous places. Many mountain communities live under the threat of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, landslides and floods. Many are the factors that cause people to live in these vulnerable situations: ties of kinship and community, a culturally different notion of risk and last but not least, poverty.
This year’s International Mountain Day (11 December) aims to raise awareness on the high number of natural hazards in mountain areas and the high vulnerability of mountain communities. It draws attention to sustainable agricultural, pasture and forestry practices as key elements of risk reduction as well as the need to develop integrated strategies and policies at a national level.
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09/12/2009
The third Issue of Karakoram Knowledge Highway-KKH
Karakoram Area Development Organisation-KADO has just released the print and online version of the third Issue of Karakoram Knowledge Highway-KKH.
KKH is the first multidisciplinary development and research journal from Karakoram aimed at to generate and disseminate rigorous research manuscripts and scholarly works, on different aspects of the high Asia Mountains and its people. It publishes research manuscripts, theoretical papers, review articles, lessons learnt in development interventions, success stories on social, economical, environmental, geographical, cultural, technological aspects of mountain communities in Gilgit-Baltistan and the surrounding mountain communities.
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04/12/2009
Ice Care: Climbing for climate
On the 7th December starts the Copenhagen Summit and the Ice Care team will be on its way to the Mount Kilimanjaro. On the 11th December the UN celebrates the “International Mountain Day” and on that day some members of the Ice Care will reach the top of Africa and its glaciers.
Ice Care is a project based on sports intervention. Their mentors face several challenges and develop social actions to call attentions on the growing problem of global warming, emphasising its effects on glaciers.
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02/12/2009
Oasi Zegna and the International Mountain Day
Oasi Zegna is a wide protected area that extends between the Alps and the Po Valley, in Piedmont near Biella, in the north west of Italy. This area is the ideal place where to experience mountain life.
After several projects focusing on protecting environmental heritage and teaching to respect nature, Oasi Zegna is now giving particular attention to international initiatives.
On Saturday 12th December, to celebrate the International Mountain Day, Oasi Zegna will organize at Bielmonte (1500 meters above sea level), “La montagna di notte”, a nightly hike with snowshoes together with the biologist Matteo Negro who will provide an introduction to the area.
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26/11/2009
An original approach to sustainable mobility in mountain areas
SWOMM 2009 – Scientific Workshop on Mountain Mobility and Transport, 5th Edition New Perspectives of Urban Mobility in Tourist Towns 11th of December 2009 The main focus of the SWOMM 2009 edition will be placed on sustainable urban mobility in tourist towns and on the innovative tools and policies of mobility management aiming at reducing the environmental. More ...
23/11/2009
Kyrgyzstan: Fewer glaciers, more deserts
Rapidly melting glaciers in mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan over the next few decades could lead to increased desertification and land degradation; living standards, the economy and the environment will be affected according to experts.
By the end of the century, we could see temperatures rising 4-6 degrees centigrade, and by 2050 the number of glaciers could fall from 8,200 to 142. Abaikhanova, environment programme adviser with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said, “Glacier melt would reduce the amount of water available for drinking and irrigation. We need to reconsider "agricultural zoning" to ensure food security and to identify how the soil will change, what type of adaptation measures will be needed in crop production, animal husbandry and preserving pasturelands in the country." More ...
19/11/2009
FAO Summit boosts agriculture to end hunger
The World Summit on Food Security was held in Rome during the last three days.
The international community committed itself to invest more in agriculture and to eradicate hunger at the earliest date.
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf declared, “The poor and the hungry cannot wait. Together we can eradicate hunger from our planet but we must move from words to actions”.
FAO had proposed setting a target of 2025 for the total eradication of hunger and increasing Official Development Assistance to agriculture to $44 billion per year for investment in developing-country agriculture and rural infrastructure .
The Summit also agreed to face the challenges of climate change to food security and the need for adaptation of, and mitigation in agriculture with particular attention to small agricultural producers and vulnerable populations.
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11/11/2009
Glorious vision in Kenya's sky melts away
Mt. Kenya's ice cap was so stunning that people use to revere it as God's home. But most of the shining glacier has disappeared and now the worshippers wonder if God is dead. For those who still practice tribal religions and revere Mt. Kenya the environmental alterations is a sign of God's fury, a punishment for younger people abandoning and violating traditions. The 17,057-foot mountain has lost 92% of its glacier cover over the last 100 years, and experts predict the ice will disappear by 2050. More ...
04/11/2009
Melting Kyrgyz glaciers pose threat
All of Kyrgyzstan's 2,200 glaciers could melt within a century, says Bakutbek Ermenbaev, a Kyrgyz hydrogeologist who works for the Government hydrogeology agency. The agency has been monitoring the melting of the glaciers for the past 50 years and they have rapidly decreased by about 20 percent. The Kyrgyz glaciers and those in Tajikistan are vital to the water supply of Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan's neighbours, such as Uzbekistan - which has a thirsty cotton growing industry - rely on the glaciers for their water supplies More ...
26/10/2009
China and India agree to cooperate on climate change policy
China and India have signed a pact to coordinate their efforts on renewable energy and research into the effects of climate change on Himalayan glaciers.
The two nations will also form a joint working group that will meet once a year to synchronize policies on this matter.
The timing of the announcement highlights the importance of maintaining a show of unity on the climate issue, despite tensions between the two nations. Indeed, China and India are among the leaders of the G77 bloc of developing nations, who have consistently argued that they should not be obliged to set internationally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
As China is the world's biggest emitter and India the fourth, one of the central goals of the Copenhagen summit has became finding a formula that encourages these nations to make verifiable commitments to climate change while leaving room for their economies to develop. More ...
19/10/2009
XIII World Forestry Congress: Forests and Water Common Goals with Uncommon Approaches
Three sessions on Forest and Water Research and Management as well as a side event will be held at the World Forestry Congress, organized by FAO.The first session on 20 October will focus on the “Recent Experiences in Watershed Management”, the second session on 21 October is “The Hydrological Impacts of Plantations in a Changing Climate” and the third session is entitled “Forests for Water, Water for Forests”. The side event “Forests and Water: The Challenges of Cross-Sectoral Cooperation”, will be held on 23 October and is an important opportunity to share information and to enhance learning and collaboration amongst participating experts and institutions.
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15/10/2009
K2, Baltoro cleaned: Mountaineers thank EvK2Cnr
In the early summer, eight tons of waste were carried downstream including paper, plastic, cans, glass and toxic materials by the initiative “Keep Baltoro Clean”, launched by EvK2Cnr.The Baltoro Glacier is one of the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions, and runs through part of the Karakoram mountain range. The project aims to educate and inform local people, tourists and mountaineers on RECYCLING WASTE. The lessons are held in tents, in Concordia, the base of the "Keep Baltoro Clean ", where a Pakistani staff member teaches to how to walk on galciers through practical demonstrations. Hundreds of people have attended the lessons and contributed to the cleaning operation. Mountaineers such as Ueli Steck and Veikka Gustafsson have commented on this initiative. " I'm glad that we talk to the people about the waste problem. It's the first time that I come to Pakistan and it's a great atmosphere,” says Steck. "It’s great to see you doing something for this common problem, ' says Gustafsson "mountaineers must be an example. We are guests and we have no right to leave any waste behind us”. More ...
14/10/2009
1.02 billion Hungry people in 2009 - FAO hunger report published
The combination of food and economic crises has pushed the number of hungry people worldwide to historic levels - more than one billion people are undernourished, according to FAO estimates. Nearly all the world's undernourished live in developing countries according FAO's annual hunger report. “The State of Food Insecurity” produced this year in collaboration with WFP was published before World Food Day, to be celebrated on 16 October 2009. Even before the recent crises, the number of undernourished people in the world had been increasing slowly but steadily for the past decade, the report says. More ...
09/10/2009
Advocates Fight Mountaintop Removal
Environmental groups across the southeast United States, from Georgia to the Appalachia region, are stepping up their opposition to a controversial but widespread practice by coal companies of removing the tops of mountains with explosives. Atlanta-based activist Darci Rodenhi recently organised an ad hoc group called Mountain Justice GA, which lobbied the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Atlanta regional office to reject 79 new permits for mountaintop removal. The EPA denied the permits earlier this month, saying the applications were in violation of the Clean Water Act. More ...
09/10/2009
Explosive volcano highlights eruption risk
The violent eruption of the Chaiteìn volcano in Chile last year has shown the high speed with which magma can burst through the earth's crust, according to a European study. The finding has prompted warnings for closer monitoring of potentially active volcanoes around the world. The violent and unexpected nature of the blasts, together with their rarity, means the Chaiteìn eruption is the first rhyolite event to have been scientifically assessed in this way. By documenting the speed with which the magma reached the surface, the researchers have now provided a measure for comparing the activity of other rhyolite volcanoes. More ...
05/10/2009
Rain, landslides threaten Indonesian earthquake victims
Heavy rain threatened to trigger more landslides and hamper delivery of desperately needed aid Monday on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where thousands of people were buried by last week's powerful earthquake. It was unclear precisely how many people were without shelter Monday, but more than 83 000 houses were destroyed or badly damaged in 10 affected districts, according to Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency. Teams were scrambling to clear roads of dirt, boulders and trees. Several villages were only reachable by foot, although some heavy equipment was on the way. More ...
03/10/2009
2009 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals is an opportunity to learn more about mountain and to connect with the wider mountain community and network with other mountain people. “It almost makes more sense to have a mountain festival in these challenging times”, says Shannon O’Donoghue, the Festival Director. During this event there will be a selection of the world’s best skiing, climbing, slacklining, paddling, unicycling, and mountain-biking films together with speakers, workshops, debates, an art and craft sale, readings, interviews, live music, yoga, photo exhibitions, and a mountain trade show. The festival will run from October 31 to November 8. More ...
01/10/2009
New ideas for life in the Alps in the post-fossil age
Last week's annual CIPRA conference on the subject of growth attracted some 200 attendees to Liechtenstein. There was a consensus that the planet's limited resources mean that population growth is finite. Numerous ideas were offered and calls made for a response to the inevitable downsizing process. CIPRA summarised the most urgent calls in a catalogue of ideas. CIPRA also took advantage of the conference to involve the Alps, which are impacted by the global cycles, and to promote a dialogue at several levels. The 200 attendees from various countries made full use of the workshops, discussions and personal contacts. There was a general agreement that in order to escape from the dictates of growth, new ideas are needed in terms of satisfaction, acceptable levels of income and the quality of life. More ...
01/10/2009
Neglected Land Washing Away
The damage to wetlands high in Lesotho's Maluti mountains has impacts on the health of the whole of the Orange-Senqu river system. The wetlands in this mountainous region stabilise soil, retain sediment and contribute to river flow from this area of high rainfall. In so doing, they indirectly support the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which captures water in dams and supplies it to water-thirsty South African industry and agriculture. The water Lesotho sells to South Africa is the mountain kingdom's largest source of foreign income. However, a combination of factors, including infrastructure development, overgrazing and cultivation and the resulting erosion, has led to the wetlands being degraded. More ...
21/09/2009
Call to save glaciers from effects of climate change
Environmentalists at a consultative seminar entitled `Role of Pakistan¿s Civil Society in the Upcoming Bangkok Negotiations asked the international community to help India and Pakistan in saving the Himalayan glaciers from the harmful effects of climate change. Arshad H Abbassi, Water Expert, said ¿It is time that the global leadership and community work with Pakistani and Indian leaders to save Himalayan glaciers by solving the long-standing Siachen dispute¿. Not only is this conflict adding to environmental degradation, sea level rise and changing climate pattern but it is also depriving the poor of both countries of close to one billion dollars every year that these countries spend to maintain troops there. It was highlighted that the Siachen glacier was melting at an unprecedented rate due to deployment of troops and establishment of permanent cantonments. More ...
18/09/2009
Climate change forming dangerous high-altitude lakes
Melting glaciers and landslides are combining to create huge high-altitude lakes in the Himalayas that could cut off water to millions of people - and then sweep away towns when they collapse. "The most likely thing we are going to see soon is an increased level in giant landslides in mountainous terrains, huge collapses, millions of cubic metres of rock," said Professor Bill McGuire, director of the Benfield Hazard Research Centre at University College London. He said these had already happened in recent years in places like Alaska and the Caucasus, and that in the world's biggest mountain range in Asia, landslides combined with melting glaciers could pose a lethal threat. More ...
15/09/2009
Conference Brings Attention to Himalayan Climate Threat
Scientists, policymakers, and community representatives from across South Asia met to discuss the many threats that climate change poses to the continent's Greater Himalayan region. Across Nepal and Tibet, average temperatures have been up to six times warmer in the mountains than in the plains, triggering changes in regional weather patterns. These changes have been accompanied by increases in pest and disease populations, losses in local biodiversity. "Accelerated melting of glaciers in the Himalayas is posing a catastrophic threat to the 1.3 billion people in (the region's) river basins," said Uday Sharma, secretary of Nepal's Ministry of Environment, who attended the meeting in Kathmandu. Participants at the event called on climate change negotiators gathering in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December to give greater attention to the plight of the Himalayan region as they finalize a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
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11/09/2009
Flying frogs and the world's oldest mushroom: a decade of Himalayan discovery
An ultramarine blue flower which changes colour in response to temperature, a flying frog and the world's oldest mushroom preserved in amber are among the 350 new species discovered in the Eastern Himalayas over the past 10 years. But experts warn the new discoveries are under pressure from demand for land and climate change. The species newly discovered between 1998 and 2008 make the mountainous region of Eastern Himalayas, one of the world's most important biological hotspots. A report published by the WWF, affirms that population growth, deforestation, the wildlife trade , pollution, hydropower development, etc. have all contributed to the pressures on the fragile ecosystems in the region. Only 25 percent of the original habitats in the region remain intact and 163 species that live in the Eastern Himalayas are considered globally threatened. More ...
07/09/2009
The tunnels of AlpTransit are necessary but not enough
A study recently published by the Initiative of the Alps, affirms that without the adoption of additional measures, the opening of the Gotthard rail tunnel in 2017 will be able to transfer from road to rail only 2.5% of good transported. The Gotthard base tunnel shortens the route and time of transport through the Alps, but not enough to reduce transport costs to attract large percentage of freight from road to rail. The Alpine Initiative is asking the adoption of additional measures, such as an Alpine transit exchange, the introduction of a system for trading emission certificates and / or adjustments of fees and tolls for the use of roads. More ...
04/09/2009
Africa threatens walkout from climate talks
Africa's climate change negotiators led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi have threatened to withdraw from the upcoming global climate change talks. The Ethiopian PM said Africa might have to walk out if the December climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, failed to agree with Africa’s minimum position. According to Africa's common position paper, the continent wants huge financial support (estimated at US$300 billion) and technology transfer from the West for mitigation and adaptation activities to curb the impact of climate crisis on the continent. “We will never accept any global deal that does not limit global warming to the minimum unavoidable level, no matter what level of compensation and assistance is promised to us,” Mr Zenawi said. More ...
04/09/2009
Ban Ki-Moon Speech at World Climate Conference -3
The Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon gave his speech at World Climate Conference-3 in Geneva, 3 September 2009. “many of the international panel on climate change's more distant scenarios are happening now” he said. “we are not just changing the environment. Climate change is altering the geopolitical landscape.” The conference was organized to provide policy makers the scientific information they need to build climate policy based on sound science. The Secretary-General experienced personally the negative and alarming consequences of climate change, visiting many countries such as Bangladesh, to see how to prevent disasters, making some necessary preparations for disaster risk reductions. “We need creative ideas, creative commitments...let us work together to seal the deal in Copenhagen" he said. More ...
02/09/2009
Study: climate cuts mountains down to size
Climate, and not the upward thrust of Earth's clashing tectonic plates, is the main factor limiting the height of mountains across the globe, according to a study published in the British journal Nature. The peaks of Mount Everest and K2, might have been even higher were it not for what scientists call the "buzzsaw" effect of glaciers that form when temperatures stay below a certain threshold. The study, showed that peaks are generally prevented from thrusting more than 1,500 meters above the line where snow permanently forms. The findings also explains why none of the world's tallest mountains are found anywhere near the North or South Poles; the reason is simply that the snowline is higher at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes. The idea that massive blocks of moving ice shave off layers from mountain tops is not new, but the study is the first to gather data on all the world's mountain ranges into a single model and check it against mathematical simulations. More ...
22/07/2009
Mountains are highlighted by the G8 summit
The G8 Summit, hosted in Italy between 8 -10 July was held at L’Aquila. The city lays on a hillside surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the spectacular Mount Gran Sasso to the north-east. An unusual scenario for a political summit, yet very symbolic: for the first time since the beginning of G8 summits, the mountains are part of the debate between the most important Heads of State and Governments of the world. The G8 meeting agreed to mobilise $20 billion over three years for a comprehensive strategy focussing on sustainable agricultural development.
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03/07/2009
Sikkim's largest glacier melting
Alarmed by the reports of receding of Sikkim’s larger Zemu glacier in the eastern Himalayas, which is the main source of water for Teesta River, due to global warming, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has asked for an "authentic report". A status report on all glaciers was prepared by a study team comprising eminent experts at the initiative of the Science and Technology department last year. Forest and Wildlife Secretary S T Lachungpa said he would soon form a committee on climate change to study the impact of global warming on glaciers in the Himalayan state before compiling a report. It would take a couple of months to study the physical status of the Zemu glacier, he said. More ...
01/07/2009
Dolomites get World Heritage status
Italy's Dolomites mountains on Friday became a World Heritage Site. Announcing its decision in Seville, a United Nations heritage panel praised the Alpine range as ''one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere.'' The World Heritage Committee panel voted unanimously for the stunning mountain range. The Dolomites - named after the dolomite rock that gives them their special colour and shape - were formed around 90 million years ago, when the landmasses that are now Europe and Africa came together and pushed the Alps up out of the sea. The reefs and coral that once surrounded lagoons, home to thousands of marine organisms, helped create the Dolomites' striking appearance and its unusual geological characteristics. UNESCO has since the 1970s listed places of ''outstanding universal value'', deeming them so precious as to belong to humanity in general, not just the country where they are located. More ...
01/07/2009
Aquila: the future is in high altitude
The project “SHARE” of EvK2Cnr will contribute to the revitalization of the Italian city of Aquila, destined to become, in the near future, a crucial centre for research of high altitude . A weather station will be located at Gran Sasso Mountain to study the pollution and the atmosphere in the Mediterranean area and an international database for high altitude researches will be created. An agreement between the Italian research institute and University of Aquila, was reached today. More ...
22/06/2009
One sixth of humanity hungry - more than ever before
World hunger is projected to reach a historic high in 2009 with 1 020 million people going hungry every day, according to new figures published by FAO. The most recent increase in hunger is not the consequence of poor global harvests, but is caused by the world economic crisis that has resulted in lower incomes and increased unemployment. This has reduced access to food by the poor. "The silent hunger crisis - affecting one sixth of all of humanity - poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world and to take the necessary actions" said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. More ...
15/06/2009
Imja Tsho Action Event 2009 - Beat the GLOF Action Run & Khumbu Festival
The Imja Tsho glacial lake in the Khumbu has been identified as the most threatening and likely to burst its banks at any time. If it was to happen it would unleash a catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) causing devastation along the downstream valleys affecting communities and the ecology of the mountains, hill regions and also the dense populated areas of the Gangetic plains. The Beat the GLOF Action Run on 18th June 2009 is an event to show the world what lies in the path of destruction. The 42 km Action Run starts at IMJA Lake (5010m), the source of the biggest threat to the people of the Khumbu, and ends at Khumjung Village School, the first school built by Sir Edmund Hillary in Nepal. After the Action Run, on 19th June, the Khumbu Festival will be held in Khumjung village with the support of World Wildlife Fund Nepal (WWF Nepal) and ICIMOD. More ...
04/06/2009
World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED)is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The theme for WED 2009 is 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests. This year’s host is Mexico, reflecting the growing role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets. More ...
02/06/2009
Climate change is making Everest ascent harder
A Nepali Sherpa who holds the world record for climbing Mount Everest said that rising temperatures were melting snow and turning the slopes barren, making it even harder to scale the world's tallest peak. The Sherpa carried a banner during his expedition that read: "Stop Climate Change; Let the Himalayas Live!". Environmental activists say rising temperatures are rapidly shrinking the Himalayan glaciers from which several Asian rivers originate, threatening the lives of millions of people who depend on them for water. More ...
02/06/2009
Huge undersea mountain found off Indonesia
A massive underwater mountain has been discovered off the Indonesian island of Sumatra and scientists say it could be a volcano with potentially catastrophic power. The cone-shaped mountain is 4,600 metres (15,100 feet) high, 50 kilometres in diameter at its base and its summit is 1,300 metres below the surface. The ultra-deep geological survey was conducted with the help of French scientists and international geophysical company CGGVeritas. More ...
27/05/2009
Himalayas Weather Station repaired
The harsh Himalayan winter has taken its toll on the highest winter weather station in the world, installed a year ago at 8000 metres from the Share Everest Expedition. After a year of work on tracking weather date, sensors and cables had been destroyed by wind, the solar panels were caked in ice and the batteries had run out . The complex and delicate repair operation was conducted without oxygen and in extreme conditions by Silvio Mondinelli and EvK2Cnr team, through a young Italian researcher, Elisa Vuillermo. More ...
