Mountains Sustainability
Hilltrip is dedicated to improve the sustainability of our mountain
environment and lifestyle.
What does Sustainability mean?
At its most basic level, sustainable means "meeting the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs."
Why Global Warming?
"Climate change is one of the most significant sustainable development
challenges facing the international community. It has implications
not only for the health and well-being of the Earth's ecosystems,
but also for the economic enterprises and social livelihoods that
we have built upon this base. Creative responses based on solid
research, shared knowledge and the engagement of people at all levels
are required to meet the challenge posed by climate change."
- International Institute for Sustainability,
www.iisd.org
Why Mountains?
"Mountains are an important source of water, energy and biological
diversity. Furthermore, they are a source of such key resources
as minerals, forest products and agricultural products and of recreation.
As a major ecosystem representing the complex and interrelated ecology
of our planet, mountain environments are essential to the survival
of the global ecosystem."
- Agenda 21, Chapter 13, "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable
Mountain Development" Agenda 21 is a 40-chapter statement of goals
and potential programmes produced by delegates at the 1992 UN Conference
on Environment and Development, known as the Earth Summit, in Rio
de Janeiro.
A barometer of global climate change, Mountain ecosystems are highly
sensitive to changes in temperature. Many climatologists believe
that mountains provide an early glimpse of what may come to pass
in lowland environments.
Although sitting in silence, glaciers seem to be sending us some
urgent messages about our climate. Rising temperatures are transforming
mountain environments, even altering the alpine experience:
·Glaciers are melting – worldwide, melting rates have doubled since
the 1980s
·Waters are drying up – in the Canadian West, late summer flows
are dwindling, threatening communities, farms, and fish
·Snowlines are rising – winters are getting shorter, and experts
predict trouble ahead for low-elevation ski resorts
·Mountains are falling apart – scientists link melting alpine permafrost
with rockfall, such as the extraordinary events on portions of famous
climbing routes in the Alps in the summer of 2003.
Clearly, those of us that play and work in the mountains have much
to lose.
For more information visit
www.meltingmountains.org
and
www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Mountains.asp.
Leading the Way!
We would like to outline the contributions to sustainable development
from some of our sponsors.
Check out who’s
contributing to sustainable development here.