KATHMANDU, Dec. 05 (Xinhua) -- The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on Wednesday warned that water availability and its use will be critical in the near future.
The Kathmandu-based regional intergovernmental center for mountain development also called for global support for mountain communities to adapt and build resilience to climate change.
"A clear message to negotiators that water availability and use will be critical in the future and that mountain communities need global support to adapt and build resilience to climate change, rather than simply coping with the impacts," it said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
The ICIMOD serves the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan area -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
According to the press release, the ICIMOD, the government of Nepal and other partners jointly organized the "Mountain Day Event " on Dec. 3 alongside the 18th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
During the meeting, Keshab Man Shakya, Nepal's minister of environment, science and technology, also the chair of the event, pointed to the increased frequency of floods, accelerated melting of glaciers, uncertainty of water availability, and unprecedented damage to the entire mountain landscape as matters which need urgent attention.
Gyan Chandra Acharya, the United Nations' Under Secretary General and High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States, mentioned the urgency to address the consequences of climate change on the mountainous region.
"The time to act on mountains is now; the world is heading for more than two degrees Celsius temperature and the implications for mountains will be catastrophic," said Acharya, quoted by the press release.
Acharya also emphasized that mountains need to be part of broader and integrated action to address the growing impact of climate change, noting the need for coordinated action among UN environmental conventions.
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