Himalayas Weep


Written by Saira Mumtaz • Region • October 2009

Climate change in the Himalayas will adversely affect habitats and ecosystems in the region and endanger the very existence of life. South Asian countries came together for the first time at a climate mini-summit in Kathmandu ahead of the Copenhagen meeting in December. A two-day Regional Climate Change Conference titled ‘From Kathmandu to Copenhagen’ was held at Kathmandu, Nepal last month to look at what vital action needs to be taken to tackle the impacts of climate change in South Asia, the most vulnerable population to climate change in the world.

All the participating countries - Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives agreed to a vision for addressing the risks of climate change.

Donor agencies signed an agreement to support the Government of Nepal in its fight against climate change, one of the countries that faces a huge threat from the global warming.

The basic aim of the conference was to present the very latest evidence of the impacts of climate change on South Asia to those responsible for negotiating a global deal at Copenhagen to be held in December this year when governments from all over the world will decide on the scale of their response to climate change.

The Himalayas, the ‘water tower’ of South Asia, are a source of water for up to 700 million people but the impact of climate change on the mountain range is feared to bring severe natural disasters, such as floods, cyclones, droughts and landslides in the region.

The most affected will be Nepal whose diverse topography, fragile ecosystems and extreme poverty make it very vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.

It is one of the 100 countries most affected by climate change, yet it has one of the lowest emissions in the world - just 0.025% of total global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. What comes as more ironic is that 31% of the country’s population of 28 million, lives below the poverty line. Most of Nepal’s poor live in rural areas and rely on rain-fed subsistence agriculture. They are vulnerable to extreme weather events, and often their poor access to information and lack of resources to help cope with and recover from weather-related disasters makes the situation grave.

One of the major reasons for the serious threat of climate change at the Himalayas is global warming. Nepal’s average temperature has increased by 1.5 Celsius since 1975. A UN Environment Programme report last year warned that at current rates of global warming, the Himalayan glaciers could shrink from 500,000 square kilometres to 100,000 square kilometres by the 2030s.

“The Himalayas have been warming three times as fast as the world average and their glaciers are shrinking more rapidly than anywhere else and could disappear by 2035. The Ganges and Indus could become seasonal rather than year-round rivers,” reported Newsweek’s science editor Sharon Begley.

Several reasons are attributed to the fast shrinking glaciers in the mountain range. Scientists believe industrial revolution and enhanced anthropogenic activities have caused faster warming in the region. Lesser snowfall, followed by an early thawing of snow, has resulted in a changed water balance. Moreover, human waste in the range adds not only to the misery of the locals but has also affected the ecosystem, most of the times clogging the smooth water flow of rivers. This coupled with deforestation makes the problem serious.

Fast-shrinking glaciers not only affect Nepal but are also affecting other countries in the region. Rivers are becoming trickles thereby drying up the water sources of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At the same time, coastal areas like Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are threatened by rising sea levels.

Climate change of this level not only exerts pressure on the environment and the natural resources including biodiversity, glaciers, forests and water reserves but is likely to affect other areas of economy, agriculture and health.

In case of Nepal, the impact of climate change on agriculture and the fragile ecosystems have a direct impact on agricultural productivity and tourism, and consequently on the country’s economy.

Climate change will lead to changes in local and regional temperatures, rainfall patterns, soil moisture content, the occurrence of floods, droughts and hailstorms etc. which will reduce agricultural productivity in the country.

Moreover, high temperatures as a direct outcome of climate change is bound to result in high humidity, heat stress and thus a sharp increase in the spread of vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever and encephalitis in Nepal.

More than a billion people directly depend on the Himalayas for survival. And while climate change is global and can affect the entire planet, the immediate repercussions are local. There is a need for the respective governments of the South Asian countries to ensure a safe living for their people and contribute towards making the world a better place to live.

To date, the challenges the region faces have been largely under-estimated and there is an urgent need for South Asian countries to make their voices heard and highlight what action needs to be taken by the international community to ensure that the issue of climate change is addressed immediately.

There is much at stake. The opportunities in the Himalayas are great. Sustainable management of watersheds, forests and huge untapped hydropower resources will not only provide safety nets but also reduce carbon levels. Management of rivers to improve irrigation and reduce the impacts of floods and droughts will help large numbers of people adapt to their changing environment. These opportunities must not be wasted.

The future of the region is hanging in the balance. The next four months are critical.