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Article published on the 2009-12-04 Latest update 2009-12-04 13:09 TU
(Photo: Reuters)
Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and 22 other government ministers held a high-attitude meeting on the Kalapattar plateau on Friday to highlight the affects of global warming. Scientists say the Himalayan glaciers are melting, threatening mountain communities.
Members of the Nepalese government arrived by helicopter, equipped with oxygen, for a meeting at the world’s highest mountain range, in the shadow of Mount Everest, 5,262 metres above sea level.
Environment Minister Thakur Prasad Sharma denied that the meeting was a publicity stunt ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, and instead he drew attention to the melting of the glaciers.
Kumar told the Nepalese media that climate change was affecting people in the region and their, “socio-economic development”.
Scientists believe that thawing of the ice is creating glacial lakes that threaten mountain communities if they burst and flood downstream.
The disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers would also bring drought to large regions of Asia, where around 1.3 billion people depend on rivers stemming from the mountain region.
According to a study by the Asian Development Bank, climate change will, “cause faster melt and retreat among Nepal’s 3,252 glaciers”, “affect agricultural production and yield”, and increase the, “risk of malaria and encephalitis”.
Officials were expected to spend around 20 minutes at the meeting place and take part in the traditional Sherpa prayer ceremony, before approving the speech to be delivered by Kumar at Copenhagen.
Environment Minister Thakur Prasad Sharma denied that the meeting was a publicity stunt ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, and instead he drew attention to the melting of the glaciers.
Kumar told the Nepalese media that climate change was affecting people in the region and their, “socio-economic development”.
Scientists believe that thawing of the ice is creating glacial lakes that threaten mountain communities if they burst and flood downstream.
The disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers would also bring drought to large regions of Asia, where around 1.3 billion people depend on rivers stemming from the mountain region.
According to a study by the Asian Development Bank, climate change will, “cause faster melt and retreat among Nepal’s 3,252 glaciers”, “affect agricultural production and yield”, and increase the, “risk of malaria and encephalitis”.
Officials were expected to spend around 20 minutes at the meeting place and take part in the traditional Sherpa prayer ceremony, before approving the speech to be delivered by Kumar at Copenhagen.
