18/01/2012
As a region that contains a complex yet colossal mountain system, the Himalayas is known to be extremely susceptible to global warming. Climate change is one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats to our planet and it is getting worse each day and one of the main reasons for this to happen is human negligence and ignorance. Climate change has caused the ice in the Himalayan region to melt and this is adversely affecting the vegetation and habitat that flourish around and below it. Scientists think that by 2050 there will be scarcity of fresh water in Asia, particularly in large basins. Climate change is affecting the amount of snow, ice and rainfall patterns and there is a sense of urgency to recognize and address to these changes.
With the rapid urbanization, the environment has been largely affected and it is playing a major role in climate change. About 1.3 billion people depend upon the water resorces from the himalaya and they are in serious danger. Most of the rivers in Asia depend upon the glaciers from the Himalayas and if these glaciers keep on melting at the current rate then there won’t be any glaciers left in the Himalayas and the people depending upon the water source from these glaciers will suffer a lot. Studies have shown that glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than at any part of the world, so it means that Himalayas are more fragile to climate change. Climate change has brought a significant change in the strength and timing of the Asian monsoon. The monsoon has been delayed and the precipitation also has decreased compared to the years before and all of this is happening due to climate change.
This change in the rainfall pattern has led to droughts in some places and has affected lot of farmers who depend upon agriculture for their livelihood.The temperature of our planet earth has been increasing for the past few decades. The rise in the temperature is caused due to the emission of greenhouse gases from human activity. As the earth gets warmer, the Himalayan highlands will be the most affected. It is predicted that the temperature in the Indian sub-continent will rise between 3.5 and 5.5°c by 2100 and on the Tibetan plateau by 2.5°c by 2050 and 5°c by 2100.
Negative Impacts of Climate Change
Melting of ice caps in the polar regions has brought rise on the sea level and it has threatened the existence of low-lying places. The melting of the glaciers has put people at risk of floods and can deprive them of water resorces in the long term.
In some part of the world, people are facing droughts and heat waves and these impacts jeopardize the production of food due to reduction in crop yields.
Climate change has direct impact on human health. In the summer of 2003 heat wave in Southern Europe took the lives of more than 70,000 people. Global warming can also bring tropical diseases like malaria and dengue.
Some of the endangered species of this world can also be extinct due to climate change, as global warming brings changes to their habitats.
Climate change could also threaten regional and international security by creating conflicts, famines and movements as resources for livelihood becomes scarce.
