We cherish the mountains and their beauty but their very existence as we know it is currently under threat.
Glaciers are on the retreat, a glance at the
Effects
With increased temperatures, tree lines are able to proceed higher up the mountain sides. This then encroaches on other rare habitats where slow growing, rare and beautiful alpine plants will be unable to move upwards fast enough to avoid extinction. In some cases whole mountains will be swallowed up by high forest not only affecting the aesthetics of the skyline profile but also buffering and modifying wind and cloud movements. The level of moisture in the ground will dramatically change as more vegetation grows and the freeze-thaw erosion cycle of ice in minute fissures of exposed rock will be replaced with a blanket of frost protecting woodland, scrub and mosses. Reduced erosion of the high regions may sound like a good thing, but we will loose many of the remote rocky wilderness outcrops and great climbing territory we have come to think of as timeless.
Less snow and ice on the tops also means less melt water so the valleys will suffer too. The rich nutrients normally deposited during the spring thaw to feed the plains and the life giving water will remain trapped in the atmosphere and in plant life at higher altitudes. Expect massive changes in the nature of freshwater wetlands, marsh and river flows in mountainous regions. Not only is this bad for us mountaineers as our landscapes modify before our very eyes, but the vast populations of the world that not only live in the fertile valleys but rely on crops such as rice and tea exported from these regions will be under threat too. Before this though, existing 'permanent' ice will melt away, initially leading to flooding, increased rock and ice falls, greater erosion of the valley floors. As if that isnt bad enough, just as nature starts to adjust to the increase in water, it will stop suddenly, guaranteeing a massive eradication of water loving plant and wildlife and exposing the ground to massive wind erosion. In certain scenarios we could end up with barren valleys and green mountain tops - a complete reversal of today’s landscape.
Some experts predict this catastrophic change could be as soon as 30 years from now. Your children may never know the places you love unless you act now
Extinguish the causes
Every small change in we make as a global population will have a dramatic effect on the timescale of this decline, with perseverance it may even be stopped or reversed. Travel the world and you will see in every major city: vast quantities of fuel burning cars sat in traffic jams; high wattage lights burning brightly throughout the night; vast piles of waste and discarded packaging; and goods that have often travelled at least once around the globe to reach the consumer; massive increases in high altitude pollution from aircraft and many other examples of mankind squandering our resources.
All this should convince you that there is an enormous amount we can change without having a negative impact on our lives. It takes every one of us to change only slightly how we run our lives to make a massive overall difference. Just imagine how the worlds economies and energy consumption would change if more people worked from home; purchased a higher proportion of food grown locally; turned off electrical items and use low-energy lighting; travelled only when necessary; purchase goods that have minimal packaging; recycle where possible; avoid disposable products and most importantly of all:
Love the Earth - Our Home
