EDITORIAL
Mountains are home to 15% of the world’s population and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They provide fresh water for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is critical for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.
Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.
This problem affects us all. We must reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures.
The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time the following year, in 2003.
This year’s International Mountain Day (IMD) theme on 11 December will be Women move mountains.
Women play a crucial role in mountains’ environmental protection and social and economic development. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture, and experts in traditional medicine. https://republicpolicy.com/women-are-leaders-now-accept-it/
Increasing climate variability, coupled with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture and rural development, has often pushed men to migrate elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have taken on many tasks formerly done by men, yet mountain women are often invisible due to a lack of decision-making power and unequal access to resources.
As farmers, market sellers, businesswomen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, mountain women and girls, in particular in rural areas, have the potential to be significant agents of change. When rural women have access to resources, services, and opportunities, they become a driving force against hunger, malnutrition, and rural poverty and are active in the development of mountain economies.
International Mountain Day 2022 is an opportunity to promote gender equality and therefore contribute to improving social justice, livelihoods and resilience.
Pakistan is home to 108 peaks above 7,000 metres and 4555 above 6,000 metres. There is no count of the peaks above 5,000 and 4,000 metres. Five of the 14 highest independent peaks in the world (the eight-thousanders) are in Pakistan (four of which lie in the surroundings of Concordia, the confluence of Baltoro Glacier and Godwin Austen Glacier). Most of the highest peaks in Pakistan lie in the Karakoram mountain range (which lies almost entirely in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan and is considered a separate range from the Himalayan range). Still, peaks above 7,000 metres are included in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges. Moreover, Pakistan is home to over 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere except the polar regions.https://republicpolicy.com/climate-change/
Pakistan has a vast area covered by mountains. The geographical and cultural significance of the area is critical for its development. International Mountain Day is celebrated in Pakistan to ensure the growth of mountain life, culture, sustainability and protection. It is crucial for climate change and biodiversity. The role of women in mountain life is also instrumental. There is a dire need to sustain and develop the ecological, geographical and cultural dominions of mountains in Pakistan. The mountain challenges in Pakistan are multifarious. The glacier melting, rock erosion, climate change, resource exploitation and annihilating cultural and geographical life bring serious threat to the natural course of mountains. The state must prioritize the protection of mountain life and geographical symmetry. For more read;https://republicpolicy.com/global-warming-myth-or-reality/
