Press/Media: www.gorkhapatra.org.np
Date: February 12, 2008
Topic: Everest mission for climate change awareness  

By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Feb. 11: Eco Everest Expedition 2008 will attempt on Mount Everest in the spring of 2008 to raise awareness on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas. The expedition is part of the celebration of ICIMOD's 25 years.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, whose father is Nepali and mother is Belgian, of Asian Trekking will lead the expedition in partnership of ICIMOD and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The expedition is also supported and endorsed by pioneering US mountaineer Conrad Anker.

Accompanying the expedition is Ken Noguchi, Japanese alpinist and conservationist who acts as senior advisor to Eco Everest, according to a press statement of ICIMOD.

Dawa Steven, Everest summiteer, has his roots and close culture ties in the Khumbu region. In recent year he has become acutely aware of the threat of climate change on this vulnerable habit that is both a major world water resource and climate regulator, the statement said.

"I fulfilled my dream and stood on the summit of Mount Everest in May 2007. But I noticed strange things happening. The solid ice of the Khumbu icefall had melted into slush and, on the way down, was crackling and crumbling beneath my feet,? he said at a press conference Monday.

"Fellow Sherpas on the mountain were running for their lives and asking me to get down as quickly as possible. I did, and on that same day the entire ice field simply collapsed. I was shocked, and wanted to understand why this had happened. After returning to Kathmandu I began my quest for answers. Most of my findings pointed towards the effects of global warming.?

Acting Director General and deputy director general - programmes of ICIMOD, Dr. Madhav Karki said that Eco Everest Expedition 2008 would be a platform to draw maximum global attention to the issues of climate change and melting glaciers in the Himalayas.

"It will specifically highlight the threats glacial lake outburst with floods threatening the local communities and environment in the region. It will also raise awareness on early warming systems and on conserving the fragile mountain ecosystem.?

According to the ICIMOD statement, climate change is having a strong affect on the Himalayan glaciers; most are retreating at a fast rate.

If the glaciers continue to shrink, this could have a profound impact on the water flowing through the nine major river basins originating in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. "The total amount of water in the rivers might increase as the glaciers melt, but when the total amount of ice in the glaciers drops below a critical level, the flow is likely to decline, Dr. Karki said.

The seasonal changes in the flow would also be affected. Some changes in the patterns of water have already been observed in some rivers in Nepal.

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