Dear Friends,
The Himalayan snows and rivers support half of humanity. They are the very foundation and life line of the Indian civilization.
What is the impact of climate change on the Himalaya?
The melting of snow in the Arctic and Antarctic due to global warming and climate change is reported frequently. However, the melting of the Himalayan glaciers goes largely unreported, even though more people are impacted.
Presently 10% of the earth’s landmass is covered with snow, with 84.16% of the Antarctic, 13.9% in Greenland, 0.77% in the Himalaya, 0.51% in North America, 0.37% in Africa, 0.15% in South America, 0.06% in Europe. Outside the polar region, Himalaya has the maximum concentration of glaciers. 9.04% of the Himalaya is covered with glaciers, with 30-40% additional area being covered with snow.
The glaciers of the Himalaya are the Third Pole.
To take stock of the impact of climate change at the Third Pole, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology / Navdanya in partnership with India International Centre is organizing a National Conference on “Climate Change in the Himalaya” on November 17, 2009 at the Auditorium, India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
For more than a year Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology / Navdanya have been involved in creating awareness about the complexity of climate change and involving local communities in participatory impact assessment and participatory adaptation planning. We have also been working with the scientific community in the Himalaya to assess the concrete impacts on glaciers and water systems and biodiversity and agricultural systems.
The conference will have presentations both by leading scientists as well as local communities who are part of the participatory study. We will also be releasing a book on “Climate Change in the Himalaya” which includes inputs both from the scientific communities as well as local communities as well as screening a film on climate change in Ladakh, the roof of the world.
The registration form and the draft program of the conference are enclosed. Please confirm your participation at himalaya@navdanya.net
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Vandana Shiva
Founder Director