More than one billion individuals depend on the Himalayas directly for survival, and as much as climate change is a global issue and will eventually affect the entire planet, there are immediate repercussions in the Himalayan region. This will adversely affect ecosystems, habitats, as well as endangering the very existence of humanity for those living in the areas adjoining the mountains and those living below the mountain’s plains.
The rate at which this is happening is apparently alarming and analysts expect it to exert more pressure on the environment as well as natural resources, with the major causes associated with industrialization, economic developments, and urbanization. These potentially catastrophic impacts led to regional tensions which have for a long time prevented Himalayan corporation, that includes basic research into the world biggest block of glaciers outside of the polar regions and which accounts for more than 40% of the world’s fresh water.
The Himalayan bloc
There are four nations that face the threat of weather changes along the Himalayas, and who have agreed to collaborate on means to adopt new climate change policies after a two-day summit in Bhutan. They are Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and India who are part of the summit. They intend to corporate on water and food, energy as well as biodiversity concerns in the region.
The initiative’s success will have immediate and direct benefits for the regions populace; however, this could also be setting up a worthy standard for new countries, which share related conditions. This is according to, L. Jigmi Y. Thinley, who is the Prime Minister Bhutan in his press statement.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and china were not present in the summit, however, the organizers downplayed their absence citing that the summit focused more on securing ecosystems food, water, and endangered species for the Himalayas eastern region. The meeting called for action in the midst of the international community incapacity to consent on restraining greenhouse gases emissions, now blamed for universal climate change. November 28′ is the date when the next UN climate talks that begin in Durban South Africa, however, the hopes of a breakthrough are narrow.
A quad working together
The four nations declared that they would work together to enhance access to reliable and affordable clean energy resources and technology, by sharing a regional information sharing machinery; this is according to a press statement from the World Wildlife Fund. The most controversial part of the talks had to do with water security. However, the four countries agreed to work alongside each other on the ecosystem as well as disaster management and share their knowhow on water use and efficiency.
Regional tensions have hindered the Himalayan cooperation for a long time, which included basic research in the world’s largest block of glaciers out of the polar region, and which also accounts to 40% of the world’s fresh water. There also agreed on food security as well as securing the nations’ livelihoods, and the agreement covers ways in which they can adapt and enhance food production and help the vulnerable communities’ access better and nutritious food. These regional initiatives are imperative, and the WWF Finland CEO Liisa Rhoweder added that the summit was a great initiative followed by the meeting in Durban’ South Africa.
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