Western Himalayan villagers suffering the effects of climate change. Mountain communities, many of whom are without ample subsistence, are facing risks in water supplies, agriculture, and infrastructure. Snowfall is erratic, while temperatures have doubled from 14 to 30 degrees Celsius, making the region vulnerable to invasive insects, drying ponds and disappearing small glaciers.
Residents are now dependent on water sheds, which cannot meet their agricultural needs. Aziz Mir, a retired senior scientist from Leh, India, said, “We are witnessing a lot of environmental changes.
There is no heavy rainfall like we used to witness a few years ago, (and) glaciers such as Khurdang have vanished in front of our eyes.”
We are troubled to hear of the plight of the Western Himalayan people, and we pray for the residents’ well-being. May humanity quickly awaken to these critical situations and unite in alleviating such dangerous trends through gentler, Earth-stabilizing lifestyles.
In a January 2009 climate change conference with concerned dignitaries and public citizens of Mongolia, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded of the need to return to ways harmonious with nature.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: We are already facing so many untold natural disasters, on a daily basis such as earthquakes, severe storms ever seen before, volcanoes, ice melting and many island nations have sunk under the water already and many are sinking.
And the climate has become very, very strange, like it became warm where it should be cold and it became cold where it should be hot. And this can only be alleviated through a return to the ancient ways of our wiser elders,one that exists in harmony with nature and respect of other beings, a true brotherhood of love with all.
We can still do that, it’s not too late.
We should remind everyone to be veg, to invoke the mercy of the Buddhas, and we will be better protected.
Referencehttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Environment/Global-Warming/Villages-in-west-Himalayas-bearing-the-brunt-of-climate-change/articleshow/4837135.cmsExtra NewsIndia and China collaborate to monitor and report on the melting of Himalayan glaciers, which feed rivers
that supply water for about 40 percent of the world's population.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/55909f74-7fc4-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2009/08/02/vs.gupta.predicting.disease.cnn?iref=24hoursAt the port of Seattle, USA, docked ships participating in the At-Berth Clean (ABC) Fuels Program use low sulfur fuel which helps lower their emissions of sulfur dioxide by at least 80 percent and diesel particulates by 60 percent.
http://www.comparecarhire.co.uk/news/seattle-uses-new-program-to-lower-emission-from-docked-cruise-ships-5387239.html National Environment Management Authority Executive Director of Uganda, Dr Gerald Musoke, expressed concern over the country’s rapidly disappearing wetlands, saying that if their degradation continues national water shortages will soon follow.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200908050766.htmlGlobal warming is causing a beetle to devastate forests across the US and Canada, making it more difficult to reduce emissions because the trees lose their ability to sequester them.
http://www.cicero.uio.no/fulltext/index.aspx?id=5714&lang=no
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090804/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_usa_forests_beetle
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