Everest climbers call for urgent action on global warming

1 November 2004

Watch movie >

The youngest and fastest men to climb Everest have called on UNESCO to place Sagarmatha National Park on the World Heritage Danger List because of the rapid impacts of climate change on the region.

Temba Tsheri
Sherpa on Everest

Temba Tsheri Sherpa and Pemba Dorjee Sherpa warn that unless urgent action is taken, many Himalayan lakes could burst, threatening the lives of thousands and destroying an irreplaceable environment.

Pro Public (Friends of the Earth Nepal) and the record-breaking Nepalese climbers delivered their petition in Paris on 18th November. Petitioners include Sir David Attenborough and Sir Chris Bonington.

Mount Everest is a powerful symbol of the natural world, not just in Nepal. If this mountain is threatened by climate change, then we know the situation is deadly serious. If we fail to act, we are failing future generations.

Prakash Sharma,
Director of Pro Public

How will climate change hit the Himalaya?

The melting of Himalayan glaciers as a result of climate change has swollen the Himalayan lakes, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding.

Watch movie:
4 mins (4.5MB - MPEG format)

There is wide agreement that many lakes are at risk, but a lack of monitoring limits realistic assessments of how close they are to bursting.

Putting Everest National Park on the Danger List would mean UNESCO would have to assess Nepal's glacial lakes and stabilise those most at risk.

Everest is the pride of the nation, but more than this, it is a gift to the world. Lake Tsho-Ipa has formed near the area where I come from. Local people live in fear that the lake will burst.

Temba Tsheri Sherpa
who in 2001, aged 16 was
the youngest to climb Everest

Watch Safeguarding Sagarmatha

See the full story behind the global warming threat to the Himalaya, featuring interviews with climate scientists and opinion formers.

Watch movie>
4 mins (4.5MB - MPEG format)

For more on the battle to save Everest visit - Climate Law

Press for change

• Ask the Culture Minister to save Everest
  The UK Culture Minister - Tessa Jowell - is on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Ask her to convince other members to protect Everest.

MPEG is a video file format. To view MPEG files, download a MPEG video player such as Apple Quicktime, Microsoft Media Player or Xine.