Bread and CircusesThe explosive growth of human industry and commerce over the past two centuries — especially just within the last 30 years — pushed a gargantuan amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This made heat waves more likely, droughts and wildfires much more likely, and is also causing dangerous levels of water scarcity...
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Mountain peaks in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region – usually capped in a white blanket of snow in the winter – remain noticeably bare this year, particularly in the western Himalayas. This winter has been very unusual, with little or no snowfall throughout the region. Farmers are understandably concerned, as low snowfall has a direct and severe impact on agriculture.
The lack of sufficient snow accumulation means that when the snow melts later in the year, there will be less runoff – excess water which flows across the surface of the land and into nearby water bodies. With fewer snowfall events, there will be less snow on the ground and decreased snow depth, meaning that there will be less melted snow running into rivers and streams when the weather warms up. So less snowfall over time could substantially reduce water for agriculture when it's needed most.
Mountain communities face numerous challenges, including crop failure, livestock deaths, fodder shortages, loss of life and property due to disasters, and psychological distress. This extremely dry winter follows years of below-average snowpack accumulation and is expected to further strain water resources this spring and summer. With rivers fed by mountain runoff potentially running dangerously low, farmers may be unable to irrigate fields or sustain livestock.
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#Science #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency
Erik Schreiber
Steffani Cameron
Henri
Dgar
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