Temperatures Rising: Climate Change, Water and the Himalayas/ 气温上升:气候变迁，水及喜马拉雅山脉 February 12, 2009

Isabel Hilton, chinadialogue
Kenneth Hewitt, Wilfrid Laurier University, Cold Regions Research Centre
Katherine Morton, The Australian National University

The Himalayas in the Tibetan Plateau and Karakoram North Pakistan, whose glaciers supply water to some 40 percent of the worldâ s population, are a climate change hotspot. The Tibetan Plateau has experienced a 1 degree Celsius temperature rise in the past decade alone. The 40,000+ glaciers in Chinaâ s Himalayas are in rapid retreat, posing grave environmental and human health threats and the prospect of catastrophic water shortages. Chinaâ s foremost glacier scientist, Yao Tandong, predicts that Chinaâ s glaciers will disappear by 2050, while the UN Intergovernmental Panel estimates they may be gone by 2035. In Northern Pakistan, temperature increases are leading glaciers to expand, which also poses environmental and water challenges. The three speakers will address the impact of climate change on the vulnerable ecosystems and communities in the Himalayas both in China and Pakistan and discuss current efforts to mitigate threats to the melting glaciers.

伊莎贝尔•希尔顿，中外对话的肯尼思•休伊特，劳里埃大学，寒冷地区研究中心凯瑟琳•莫顿，澳大利亚国立大学。青藏高原的喜马拉雅山和巴基斯坦北部的喀喇昆仑山的冰川为世界百分之四十的人口供给水分是一个与气候变化相关的热点话题。青藏高原在过去的十年里经历的一个摄氏度的升高。目前中国喜马拉雅山脉的四万多个冰川正急速溶化，对环境、人类健康、及水源构成严重威胁。中国重要的的冰川科学家姚檀栋预测，中国的冰川会于2050年消失,而联合国的预测则为2035年。在巴基斯坦北部，气温上升令冰川扩张，也为当地带来环境和水源的挑战。三位讲者将就气候变化在生态系统及在中国与巴基斯坦的喜马拉雅社区发表演说，并在缓和冰川正溶化的议题上展开讨论。