Foreign Links, Foreign Policy and Glacial Melt
Sunday, 10. May 2009, 10:38:52
As other bloggers I am, of course, happy when other bloggers link to me, so hereby my excuses for linking too little and too seldom to other blogs. The blogs I read - or skim - are usually within the geoblogosphere and practically nowhere else (with a few exceptions like this one). Writing about earth sciences I do of course regularly mention that geology has political implications (reason enough for politicians to care more about geology).
Well, back to the links. Yesterday I happened to discover that the Arctic Blog had been kind enough to link to my post on the third pole melting. The Arctic Blog focuses on political, military, and environmental current events in the Arctic region. The Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers are of course far the North Pole area, but they do have problems with melting glaciers in common.
The Arctic
On 28 April 2009 Al Gore together with the Norwegian Foreign Minister co-chaired an international conference on global warming called “Melting Ice: Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call”. Several foreign ministers of Arctic nations attended, along with scientists from regions like the Himalayas and the Andes, where the high-altitude ice is also melting. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are often called the “Third Pole” due to the area’s massive ice coverage, which is the third-largest in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Anywhere from 3,000 to 45,000 glaciers glide through the mountains, and two billion people depend on their runoff for water.
The Tibetan Plateau
And this brings me to another “Third Pole” link from the same Arctic Blog post to Chinadialogue, with an extremely interesting article on the uncertain future on the Tibetan Plateau. Katherine Morton explains how glacial melt poses critical risks to biodiversity, people and livelihoods on the Tibetan Plateau, and further explores the possibilities for an effective regional response. On the Tibetan plateau climate impacts pose significant security risks for China and the Asia region. The ability to adapt is of critical importance to the future sustainability of the ecosystems as well as the millions of people they serve.
The Tibetan Plateau is the largest high altitude landmass on earth, covering an area of approximately 1.6 million km2, equal to one-quarter of China’s land mass. As a direct consequence of global warming the glaciers that feed Asia’s great rivers – the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra – have retreated by 196 km2 in the last 40 years. Apart from dramatic adverse effects on biodiversity, people and livelihoods with long-term implications for water, food and energy security. glacial melt can also trigger a higher incidence of natural disasters – landslides, flooding and glacial lake outbursts.
Please let me cordially invite you to read these two (more political) articles (on glacial melt on a regional and global scale).
• http://arctic.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/29/meetings-on-global-warming-arctic-in-tromso-part-12/
• http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/2961-An-uncertain-future-on-the-Plateau
Well, back to the links. Yesterday I happened to discover that the Arctic Blog had been kind enough to link to my post on the third pole melting. The Arctic Blog focuses on political, military, and environmental current events in the Arctic region. The Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers are of course far the North Pole area, but they do have problems with melting glaciers in common.
The Arctic
On 28 April 2009 Al Gore together with the Norwegian Foreign Minister co-chaired an international conference on global warming called “Melting Ice: Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call”. Several foreign ministers of Arctic nations attended, along with scientists from regions like the Himalayas and the Andes, where the high-altitude ice is also melting. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are often called the “Third Pole” due to the area’s massive ice coverage, which is the third-largest in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Anywhere from 3,000 to 45,000 glaciers glide through the mountains, and two billion people depend on their runoff for water.
The Tibetan Plateau
And this brings me to another “Third Pole” link from the same Arctic Blog post to Chinadialogue, with an extremely interesting article on the uncertain future on the Tibetan Plateau. Katherine Morton explains how glacial melt poses critical risks to biodiversity, people and livelihoods on the Tibetan Plateau, and further explores the possibilities for an effective regional response. On the Tibetan plateau climate impacts pose significant security risks for China and the Asia region. The ability to adapt is of critical importance to the future sustainability of the ecosystems as well as the millions of people they serve.
The Tibetan Plateau is the largest high altitude landmass on earth, covering an area of approximately 1.6 million km2, equal to one-quarter of China’s land mass. As a direct consequence of global warming the glaciers that feed Asia’s great rivers – the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra – have retreated by 196 km2 in the last 40 years. Apart from dramatic adverse effects on biodiversity, people and livelihoods with long-term implications for water, food and energy security. glacial melt can also trigger a higher incidence of natural disasters – landslides, flooding and glacial lake outbursts.
Please let me cordially invite you to read these two (more political) articles (on glacial melt on a regional and global scale).
• http://arctic.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/29/meetings-on-global-warming-arctic-in-tromso-part-12/
• http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/2961-An-uncertain-future-on-the-Plateau
WIDGETIZE
dortejakobsen # 10. May 2009, 14:19
I have been quite busy recently, but as someone who skims my blog you probably know why.
I have more or less left My Opera so for the future I´ll add you to my non-criminal blogroll (which should remind me to pop in and see what happens in your fascinating world of geology).
NB: I am enjoying my writing course immensely.
nielsol # 10. May 2009, 15:19
dortejakobsen # 11. May 2009, 21:22