Climate change causes Everest melt

The top of Mount Everest is melting, and this change is threatening the environment of the world's highest mountain peak. Environmentalists are starting a campaign to save this amazing landmark by placing it on a danger list.

The snow that is melting on Everest's peak is running into nearby Himalayan lakes, overfilling them and threatening the environment and the lives of those who live around the base of the mountain. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has sponsored a team to investigate Everest. The primary cause of the change is global warming, but the impact of tourism also has a huge effect on the area. The ponds around the base of the mountain have merged into a lake fueled by the melted snow.

The reason for the melting is that the atmosphere is warming, and because the mountain stands so tall, it is affected first by the Earth's changing climate.

A team of seven people from UNEP launched an expedition to Mount Everest, to talk to the locals and examine the mountain. Members of a nearby monastery noticed that events, such as floods or glacial movement, have been occurring more often in the past eight years. These changes have affected local residents most. In one instance, melted glacier water destroyed the wooden bridges, causing them to be replaced by stronger metal bridges.

The over-harvesting of the area has caused erosion and the destruction of wildlife. Approximately 27,000 tourists flock to Mount Everest each year. Climbers have littered the mountain. Even so, those who live in the area want tourism to continue to provide jobs for the local population. The locals are fighting back by attempting to ban shrub collection and replanting the forest around the base of the mountain. The locals are also attempting to use more homegrown foods, lowering their dependence on imports and building more greenhouses. The forest around the base is also being restored, to help with erosion.

Other countries have a dismal view of the United States when it comes to global warming. To change that image, America has signed an agreement with 13 other countries promising to invest in companies that will control methane emissions. The other countries involved are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. Scientists have ranked methane as the second largest pollutant, behind carbon dioxide, which causes global warming.

Action must be taken to prevent the destruction of one of our most beautiful landmarks. Millions of Americans flock to this tourist location yearly and we must put forth our knowledge and effort to protect Mount Everest by placing it on a danger list.