[Reader-list] Fwd: Climate change in Ladakh

[Nagraj Adve]

A rather significant piece, by Vandana Shiva, on climate change impacts in
Ladakh.
Naga


Climate Change at the Third Pole



May 16, 2009 By *Vandana Shiva
*
Vandana Shiva's ZSpace Page / ZSpace


I write from Ladakh, where we are studying the impact of climate change and
evolving participatory adaptation and disaster preparedness strategies with
local communities.

The melting of snow in the Arctic and Antartic due to global warming and
climate change is reported frequently. However, the melting of the Himalayan
glaciers goes largely unreported, even though more people are impacted.

Presently 10% of the earth's landmass is covered with snow, with 84.16% in
the Antartic, 13.9% in Greenland, 0.77% in the Himalaya, 0.51% in North
America, 0.37% in Africa, 0.15% in South America, 0.06% in Europe. Outside
the polar region, Himalaya has the maximum concentration of glaciers. 9.04%
of the Himalaya is covered with glaciers, with 30-40% additional area being
covered with snow.

The glaciers of the Himalaya are the Third Pole. They feed the giant rivers
of Asia, and support half of humanity.

In Ladakh, the northern most region of India, all life depends on snow.
Ladakh is a high altitude desert with only 50mm of rainfall. Ladakh's water
comes from the snow melt - both the snow that falls on the land and provides
the moisture for farming and pastures, as well as the snow of the glaciers
that gently melts and feeds the streams that are the lifeline of the tiny
settlements.

For centuries snow has supported human survival in Ladakh.

Climate change is changing this. Less snow is falling, so there is less
moisture for growing crops. In village after village, we are witnessing the
end of farming where snow melt on the fields was the only source of
moisture.

Reduced snowfall also means less snow in glaciers, and less streamflow. The
shorter period of snowfall prevents the snow from turning into hard ice
crystals. Therefore more of the glacier is liable to melt when the summer
comes.

Climate change has also led to rain, rather than snow, falling even at
higher altitudes. This also accelerates the melting of glaciers.

Meantime, heavy rainfall which was unknown in the high altitude desert has
become more frequent, causing flash floods, washing away homes and fields,
trees and livestock. Climate refugees are already being created in the
Himalaya in villages such as Rongjuk. As one of the displaced women said
"when we see the black clouds, we feel afraid."

The arrival of black clouds and disappearance of white snow in the cold
desert is how climate change is entering the life of the Ladakhi
communities. They did not cause the pollution, but they are its victims.
This is the direct and cruel face of climate injustice - the polluters
continue to pollute, they are insulated from the impact of their own
actions. Others, thousands of miles away bear the brunt of greenhouse gas
pollution.

India has 5243 glaciers covering an area of 37579 km2 and containing 142.88
km2 of ice.

The Gangotri glacier, the source of the Ganga is receding at 20-23 miles per
year. Millam glacier is receding at 30m/yr, Dokrani is retreating at
15-20m/yr. The receding of glaciers has accelerated with global warming. The
rate of retreat of the gangotri glacier has tripled in the last three years.
Some of the most devastating effects of glacial meltdown occures when
glacial lakes overflow and the phenomena of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods
(GLOFs) take place.

Climate change thus initially leads to widespread flooding, but over time,
as the snow disappears there will be draught in the summer. In the Ganga,
the loss of glacier meltdown would reduce July - September flows by two
thirds, causing water shortages for 500 million people and 37 percent of
India's irrigated land.

Glacial runoff in the Himalayas is the largest source of fresh water for
nothern India and provides more than half the water to the Ganga. Glacial
runoff is also the source of the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Mekong, the
Irrawady and the Yellow and Yantze rivers.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), "glaciers
in the Himayalas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and
if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the
year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the earth keep getting warmer
at the current rate". According to the IPCC report the total area of
glaciers in the Himalaya will shrink from 193051 square miles to 38,000
square miles by 2035.

The lives of billions are at stake. That is why we have started a
participatory process for Himalayan communities to engage in the discussion
on climate change, including issues of climate justice, adaptation and
disaster preparedness.

In terms of numbers of people impacted, climate change at the Third Pole is
the most far reaching. And no climate change policy or treaty will be
complete without including the Himalayan communities.

The Government of India has set up a National Climate Action Plan which has
eight missions. One of the missions is for sustaining the Himalayan
Ecosystem. However, the Himalayan communities are missing in the mission. As
the Action Plan states "A mission for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem
will be launched to evolve management measures for sustaining and
safeguarding the Himalayan glacier and mountain ecosystem. Himalayas, being
the source of key perennial rives, the Mission would, inter-alia, seek to
understand, whether and the extent to which, the Himalayan glaciers are in
recession and how the problem could be addressed. This will require the
joint effort of climatologists, glaciologists and other experts."

People only get introduced to protect forests "community based management of
these ecosystems will be promoted with incentives to community organizations
and panchayats for protection and enhancement of forested lands".

However climate change is about more than forests. It is about flash floods
and draught, it is about planning for a future which is not like today. For
this people need to be partners in monitoring and planning. No government
machinery, no matter how sophisticated, can know every mountain, every
glacier, every stream, and every field. People are experts on local
ecosystems and the changes in their ecosystems due to a destabilized
climate. It is this expertise which needs to be mobilized in order to evolve
timely strategies for adaption.