“As glaciers disappear and snowlines move upwards, river flows are likely to change and lack of water may lead to conflict and affect hydropower generation, forestry and agricultural-based livelihoods,” said Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General for Natural Resources.
The services that mountain ecosystems provide often extend well beyond their geographic areas and include water balance, climate regulation, and maintenance of different species of plants and animals.
The main reason for climate change is increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions. Man-made global greenhouse gas emissions have grown markedly in the past 30 years rising by 70 percent between 1970 and 2004, according to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are affected by global warming and mountain areas are highly susceptible.
In Bhutan, for example, glaciers are now retreating 20-30 metres a year with devastating effects downstream as a result of flooding, leading to loss of life, crops and pasture lands. The ice cap once known as the “sleeping lion” in the Andes of Peru has completely disappeared, resulting in intermittent or dry drainage channels causing herders to move grazing herds and increased concern for the future of irrigation, electricity generation and mining.
Higher temperatures as a result of climate change may also affect the health of both livestock and people, as malaria is likely to continue moving to higher altitudes as is already the case in East Africa and the Andes. For wild animals, a warmer climate may mean extinction as their habitats disappear.
Role of FAO
To date, climate-induced changes have led to adaptation through, for example, technological measures such as preventing the bursting of glacial lakes in the Himalayas or safeguards against slope instability due to permafrost decay in northern Europe. Mountain ski resorts in Europe and North America have started diversifying their services to compensate for the loss of winter tourism caused by the lack of snow. FAO is working with governments on watershed management and use planning and zoning for both mountains and lowlands as floods, landslides and avalanches are likely to become more severe and affect areas until recently considered safe.
In Bhutan, a National Climate Change Committee has been set up which will identify safe and unsafe zones for settlement in potential flood-affected areas. People in rural areas, for example, have been given radios as a basic early warning tool.
Measuring the effects on mountain areas
There is a growing need for more data and understanding at the regional and local levels of the impact of climate change and variability on mountain communities as well as on options for adaptation.
“FAO has a vital role to play in addressing the serious challenges confronting the vast number of mountain communities in developing countries who are often the poorest and most food insecure,” said Alemneh Dejene, Senior Officer, Environmental Assessment and Management Unit.
This and other issues concerning climate change will be considered by a high-level meeting on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy to be held at FAO from 3 to 5 June 2008.
08.02.2010
Unterwasser-Experimentalfeld vor Helgoland soll klimabedingte Veränderungen erforschen
24.06.10: Zweiter Branchentag Windenergie NRW
Wie viele Haushaltsgeräte kann man mit einer Kuh betreiben?
Röttgen zündet nur erste Rakete für Atomausstieg
Laufzeitverlängerung: Grüne reagieren kühl auf Röttgen-Vorstoß
Gouverneur von Delaware informiert sich über Lösungsansätze zu Erneuerbaren Energien
07.02.2010
Gewerkschaftschef pocht auf neue Kohlekraftwerke
06.02.2010
Röttgen rät zum Atomausstieg - «Keine Akzeptanz»
05.02.2010
Staatspreis für Umwelt und Energietechnologie 2010 für vorbildliche Unternehmen
Bundesregierung: Rekordvolumen an Förderungen über KfW-Gebäudeprogramme
EIB lends EUR 115.5 million for environmental investments in Ukraine
Oceans Reveal Further Impacts of Climate Change
Rasmussen auch nach Klimagipfel Unglücksrabe vom Dienst
Mit grüner Rente das Klima schützen
Öko-Branche: 'Röttgen fehlt nur das Vertrauen in die Dynamik der Entwicklung'
04.02.2010
Wettbewerb Kommunen und Betriebe: Innovative Ideen im Mobilitätsmanagement gesucht
Protest der Solarbranche setzt Politik unter Druck
EU handelt nach Attacken auf Emissionshandel
EWEA: More wind power capacity installed than any other power technology
EEX trading results for CO2 Emission Rights in January
FirstCarbon Solutions acquires GSAG and Enverity
Röttgen verteidigt Solarenergie-Politik
100-Tage-Bilanz der Umweltorganisationen: Umwelt sitzt am Katzentisch
Obama gibt Gas mit «sauberer» Energie
03.02.2010
Köhler: Industrieländer sollen Indien beim Klimaschutz unterstützen
'Energiestrategie Österreich': neue Ökostromverordnung und weitere Verbesserungen
02.03.2010: Kopenhagen - Ergebnisse und Perspektiven für den internationalen Emissionshandel
Jeder fünfte Hausbesitzer möchte dieses Jahr in Energiesparmaßnahmen investieren
Millionen-Schaden bei Betrugsangriff auf Emissionshandel
Solarunternehmen protestieren bundesweit gegen Einschränkungen in der Solarförderung
Irland hat möglicherweise zu viele Zertifikate angekauft
Europäische Investitionsbank: Fokus auf erneuerbarer Energie
02.02.2010
Köhler: Globaler Klimaschutz geht nur mit verbindlichen und nachprüfbaren Regeln für alle
Schweizer Postkunden geben Klimaschutzprojekt per Internet den Zuschlag
Rekord-Ballonflug in schwarzer Polarnacht im Dienste des Klimas
55 Länder legen Klimaziele vor
GDF Suez gibt Pläne für Stade auf - Trend gegen neue Kohlekraftwerke setzt sich fort
Intelligentes Stromnetz: Deutsche Energieversorger verpassen Megatrend
Krankenhäuser kranken an Energievergeudung
Sonniger Rekord: Durchbruch für die Hybrid-Solarzelle
Ökologische und ökonomische Effekte der Elektromobilität werden umfassend untersucht