Melting Mountains

“Disaster is not destiny if information, innovation and early warning systems are shared and expanded.” This quote from New York Times article Melting Mountains is referring to the melting of the Himalayan-Hindu Kush mountain glaciers as a result of sea levels rising. If the melting of the large ice sheets in Arctic and Antarctic increases, sea level will rise, and therefore would cause the glaciers in the Himalayas to melt. This is a huge problem for the people living in the Himalayan communities and poses a great threat. The most severe effects will occur downstream and could possibly cause glacial lake outburst floods. These floods occur when lakes are formed behind glacial debris, leading them to burst. Not only is the melting of ice sheets a problem for those living in the Himalayas, but also rainfall is highly detrimental. The Himalayan communities are monitoring the issue and have already begun to make some changes in order to adapt for the current and future circumstances. Some changes they have begun to make include building their homes on stilts to avoid flooding, and store crop seeds against potential disasters.