Our spirit soars where the air grows thin, yes, mountains make us feel the most alive, they are soul’s fuel and life is often compared to the mountains, with its many ups, downs and challenges.
We, the Home Sapiens have caused a serious threat to the mountains. But, what if we say, unlike us, it is very much possible that the joy of being with mountains, joy of living on this beautiful planet will not be felt by our succeeding generations.
Scary but reality!
Today, our beloved mountains are in disastrous condition with unpredictable weather patterns like snowfall timing and intensity, change in flower blooming season, dying streams, untimely forest fires, increase in landslide and glacier floods, rock falls, storms, summerlike feel in winter and such; all these are nothing but alarming bells to remind us that Never take the mountains for granted.
Climate change and global warming are no nonsense buzz!
Today, Himalayas standing tall and Father of Nation had once said, “Faith is like Himalaya Mountains which cannot possibly change”. However, soon this needs to be altered and that too in this century only. As per the research, if greenhouse gas emission would continue at current rate, two-third of Himalaya glacier would depart us by the end of this century!
No, I do not want my third generation to see Himalaya in Museum! What about you?
Mountains do matter
A home to around 15% of world’s population and center of biological diversity, mountains cover almost 25% of total land area of our planet earth.
In India, we have Mother Nature’s most wonderful creator, the Great Himalayas, , the origin of three major rivers Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra with many other larger tributaries providing freshwater to the billions of people.
Bitter truth is that Climate change and overexploitation have affected farmers, communities, regional diversity, and entire globe. Mountains’ eco-system is such that they get the most affected. Condition is worsening than we, the urban dwellers can imagine!
What do climate scientists, hydrology expert and glaciologists say
There have been thousands of research and activities going on to understand this geology - like glacier research, snow and avalanche research, landscape change photography through satellites and now we know enough to save us! It is just a matter of global collaboration and timely action.
Himalayas are most endangered!
Mountains are Earth’s stabilizers and enable life on earth. Study shows that world’s carbon emission has taken a toll on Himalayas and their effect is worsening with each passing year.
Amongst around 10,000 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, only few are being monitored. 2019 report from IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned against the alarming condition of Himalayas. India clearly needs a strong surveillance of glaciers as Uttarakhand like situation would lead immense damage to the country and world.
Water Towers of the World
Glaciers are huge storage water banks and they melt slowly, water can be released gradually over seasons, years and over the centuries, but now Climate Change is making glaciers melt at very fast pace than it would happen naturally, which lead to frequent natural disasters like cloudburst, avalanche, landslide, frozen soils.
According to the reports, forest fire would last for entire year now, as Forest Rivers are drying up and soil moisture is decreasing with ample amount of wood as burning element.
Forget the green, our forests would be seen in red and orange, in fuming condition.
Mountains do not need celebrations but actions!
International Mountain Day falls on 11 December but a day’s celebration is not enough, mountains deserve a lot more! We are already running late, if we do not patch up now with our planet’s geology than we are making sure that our lineage would curse us for killing the only known habitat in the Universe.
More natural calamities on the way…
We have been hearing more and more natural disasters from the north Indian region, which should be actually talked about for its beauty and not for its devastating nature.
Visuals from the disasters look like a havoc, our armed forces run for search and rescue operations, thousands of people get missing, loss of public properties come to the figure of millions and billions of rupees, development projects get washed away, life doesn’t’ return to normalcy for hundreds of families, our planet loses its charm, culture, forest cover, mountains and wildlife.
Heavy Due on Humanity!
When it comes as a news, it stays with us for a while and then we are back to our routine, but believe us, Earth is making compromises in its routine. That is, and that would cost us heavily, certainly paying the dues would be beyond our reach.
The concerns are so deep that to spread awareness globally, TIME has launched entire issue of 2019 on the single topic which only happened for 5 times in the history! Issue reads as 2050: How earth survived.
Warmer Glacier
Do you want warmth of the mountains or love of the mountains? We know the answer, but what if they would only have warmer feelings? Yes, records are getting broken. More shocking data is coming for warmer days, warmer month.
Is it time to change definition of hill station or time to upgrade season chart?
December-2016 was the warmest ever month in the city having monthly average minimum temperature of 8.6 degrees Celsius.
Shimla recorded its warmest night with a minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius (eight degrees above normal), higher than Chandigarh, Delhi, Karnal, Ambala Dehradun and Ahmedabad.
Like we are living a fast life, acceleration is also seen in loss of ice in Himalayan regions and mountains across the globe
Sounds Irrelevant?
Beware, this is not just region specific concern but it’s serious Global crisis. No matter where you live and what you do, in plains or in mountains or in deserts, each living being on the planet is connected to mountains eco-system of the planet. As per the reports of IPCC in 2019, this is affecting water availability to agriculture, hydropower, and this would affect water storage and delivery infrastructure around the World!
Did you hear earlier that, some glaciers with building size of Empire State got shrink to one third! Hilarious but it happened in European alps in the year 2018.
Development leads to devastation
We want to imprint our name on each inch of this planet and that quest to conquer the world lead us to disrupt the mountain environment for urbanization, industrialization, hydropower projects which increase the challenges to mountain biodiversity.
Unsustainable land clearance, natural habitat degradation, erosion of fertile soil, reinforced concrete cement structural use in traditional mountain region of wood and stones, all this would result in more natural disasters and extinction of many species of plants and animals..
No Apple a Day!
Ready to face more such conditions like flash floods in Uttarakhand, wildfire in Australia, cloud burst in uttarakhand, no snowfall in January in kalpa of himachal Pradesh? Well, do you know Kalpa is situated about 250 km away from the state capital and is well known for apple farming?
Can we allow our apple to leave the planet? RIP Apples! No courage!
RIP Mountains..
It’s surprising but in September 2019, Swiss people bid a farewell to Pizol Glacier of Alps and we would not like to attend such more events!
Boring Story?
Well, the Earth is going crazy and mountain environments are essential to the survival of the global biosphere. This can not be boring! Think about your vacation to winter wonderland or that much needed Himalayan Sojourn or BFF holidays in Leh! Well, we often take a break from our routine and explore the world but what if we would have concrete jungles and bots all over. Can we afford to forget about those dreamy breaks? Answer would be a big No-No.
The Way Forward
Mountains are on their job, they are creator’s magic, and they are made to stay here with us for millions of years, let us allow them to age gracefully!
Our ancestors and mountain community have knowledge which has been passed on to their current lineage for conservation of planet and eco-friendly living. This if not made to utilize willfully, it would be disappeared. Immense loss.
Mountains are beginning and end of all natural scenery
Then, You MUST Read this out, share and do your bit, as this is relatable to each GLOBAL CITIZEN!
Scary but reality!
Today, our beloved mountains are in disastrous condition with unpredictable weather patterns like snowfall timing and intensity, change in flower blooming season, dying streams, untimely forest fires, increase in landslide and glacier floods, rock falls, storms, summer-like feel in winter and such; all these are nothing but alarming bells to remind us that Never take the mountains for granted.
Mountains do matter
A home to around 15% of world’s population and center of biological diversity, mountains cover almost 25% of total land area of our planet earth.
In India, we have Mother Nature’s most wonderful creator, the Great Himalayas, , the origin of three major rivers Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra with many other larger tributaries providing freshwater to the billions of people.
Bitter truth is that Climate change and over-exploitation have affected farmers, communities, regional diversity, and entire globe. Mountains’ Eco-system is such that they get the most affected. Condition is worsening than we, the urban dwellers can imagine!
What do climate scientists, hydrology expert and glaciologists say
There have been thousands of research and activities going on to understand this geology - like glacier research, snow and avalanche research, landscape change photography through satellites and now we know enough to save us! It is just a matter of global collaboration and timely action.
Himalayas are most endangered!
Mountains are Earth’s stabilizers and enable life on earth. Study shows that world’s carbon emission has taken a toll on Himalayas and their effect is worsening with each passing year.
Amongst around 10,000 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, only few are being monitored. 2019 report from IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned against the alarming condition of Himalayas. India clearly needs a strong surveillance of glaciers as Uttarakhand like situation would lead immense damage to the country and world.
Climate change and global warming are no nonsense buzz!
Today, Himalayas standing tall and Father of Nation had once said, “Faith is like Himalaya Mountains which cannot possibly change”. However, soon this needs to be altered and that too in this century only. As per the assessment of Hindu Kush Himalaya, if greenhouse gas emission would continue at current rate, two-third of Himalaya glacier would depart us by the end of this century!
No, I do not want my third generation to see The Himalayas in Museum! What about you?
Water Towers of the World
Glaciers are huge storage water banks and they melt slowly, water can be released gradually over seasons, years and over the centuries, but now Climate Change is making glaciers melt at very fast pace than it would happen naturally, which lead to frequent natural disasters like cloudburst, avalanche, landslide, frozen soils.
According to the reports, forest fire would last for entire year now, as Forest Rivers are drying up and soil moisture is decreasing with ample amount of wood as burning element.
Forget the green, our forests would be seen in red and orange, in fuming condition.
Mountains do not need celebrations but actions!
International Mountain Day falls on 11 December but a day’s celebration is not enough, mountains deserve a lot more! We are already running late, if we do not patch up now with our planet’s geology than we are making sure that our lineage would curse us for killing the only known habitat in the Universe.
More natural calamities on the way…
We have been hearing more and more natural disasters from the north Indian region, which should be actually talked about for its beauty and not for its devastating nature.
Visuals from the disasters look like a havoc, our armed forces run for search and rescue operations, thousands of people get missing, loss of public properties come to the figure of millions and billions of rupees, development projects get washed away, life doesn’t’ return to normalcy for hundreds of families, our planet loses its charm, culture, forest cover, mountains and wildlife.
Heavy Due on Humanity!
When it comes as a news, it stays with us for a while and then we are back to our routine, but believe us, Earth is making compromises in its routine. That is, and that would cost us heavily, certainly paying the dues would be beyond our reach.
The concerns are so deep that to spread awareness globally, TIME has launched entire issue of 2019 on the single topic which only happened for 5 times in the history! Issue reads as 2050: How earth survived.
Warmer Glacier
Do you want warmth of the mountains or love of the mountains? We know the answer, but what if they would only have warmer feelings to gift you? Yes, weather records are getting broken. More shocking data is coming for warmer days, warmer month.
December-2016 was the warmest ever month in the city having monthly average minimum temperature of 8.6 degrees Celsius in queen of hill station.
Shimla recorded its warmest night with a minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius (eight degrees above normal), higher than Chandigarh, Delhi, Karnal, Ambala Dehradun and Ahmedabad.
Is it time to change definition of hill station or time to upgrade season chart?
Like we are living a fast life, acceleration is also seen in loss of ice in Himalayan regions and mountains across the globe. Certainly, fast paced life is not the nature of Nature.
Sounds Irrelevant? Not at all!
Beware, this is not just region specific concern but it’s serious Global crisis. No matter where you live and what you do, in plains or in mountains or in deserts, each living being on the planet is connected to mountains Eco-system of the planet. As per the reports of IPCC in 2019, this is affecting water availability to agriculture, hydro-power, and this would affect water storage and delivery infrastructure around the World!
Did you hear earlier that, some glaciers with building size of Empire State got shrink to one third! Hilarious but it happened in European alps in the year 2018.
Development leads to devastation
We want to imprint our name on each inch of this planet and that quest to conquer the world lead us to disrupt the mountain environment for urbanization, industrialization, hydro-power projects which increase the challenges to mountain biodiversity.
Unsustainable land clearance, natural habitat degradation, erosion of fertile soil, reinforced concrete cement structural use in traditional mountain region of wood and stones, all this would result in more natural disasters and extinction of many species of plants and animals..
No Apple a Day!
Ready to face more such conditions like flash floods in Uttarakhand, wildfire in Australia, cloud burst in Uttarakhand, no snowfall in January in kalpa of Himachal Pradesh? Well, do you know Kalpa is situated about 250 km away from the state capital and is well known for apple farming?
Can we allow our apple to leave the planet? RIP Apples! No courage!
RIP Mountains..
It’s surprising but in September 2019, Swiss people bid a farewell to Pizol Glacier of Alps and we would not like to attend such more events!
Boring Story? Mind It. There is no PLANET B.
Well, the Earth is going crazy and mountain environments are essential to the survival of the global biosphere. This can not be boring! Think about your vacation to winter wonderland or that much needed Himalayan Sojourn or BFF holidays in Leh! Well, we often take a break from our routine and explore the world but what if we would have concrete jungles and bots all over. Can we afford to forget about those dreamy breaks? Answer would be a big No-No.
The Way Forward
Mountains are on their job, they are creator’s magic, and they are made to stay here with us for millions of years, let us allow them to age gracefully!
Our ancestors and mountain communities have knowledge which has been passed on to their current lineage for conservation of planet and Eco-friendly living. This if not made to utilize willfully, it would be disappeared. Immense loss!
Let's add the magic of Science to this heritage climate mastery and give a life to the planet it deserve and we deserve!
Mountains are beginning and end of all natural scenery...
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