Saturday... Beautiful and Heartbreaking

I attended an amazing session on Saturday morning it was called Mountains of the World: Addressing Climate Change. The session was broken up into three sections, the science, politics and the faces. I would like to focus on the faces. Here is a brief description each panelist shared with the people who attended the session. 

Nima Lama is from Nepal, she stated how climate change is a new concept for high altitude Nepalese. The locals are the ones being affected and it is our duty to help make them aware of climate change because many of them believe they are being punished for something they did in the past life. The voices of the mountain people need to be heard especially since the white mountains are turning into the black mountains.

Farimi Samer is from Morocco and is an agriculturalist from the high plateau and he stressed that agriculture is being stressed all around the world especially in the mountain regions. We here at the conference understand what is happening but the locals on the mountains do not understand that it is climate change.  He was very grateful that he could testify, and give the people of the mountains a voice. He used two examples of what is happening on his plateau, the first is they are being forced to move their crops because they are no longer lucrative where they use to be. The second example he used was the Argan tree and how they are yielding 5x less nowadays on the same land. The tree is very important to these people's way of life and without them they may be forced to leave. For centuries Farimi said they have been able to adapt to changes in their environment but now it is happening to quickly and they cannot adapt.

Elmira Kuchumkilova who is from Kazakhstan is a cultural anthropologist trying to save the indigenous way of living in the high altitude mountains. When she interviewed her family all of the older members could list and explain many of the changes to the high latitude landscape. When she brought her grandmother back to the plains where she grew up after 25 years, her heart became broken because of the pasture space was completely different. The glaciers are water towers for millions in the lower latitudes and hundreds still lead nomadic and semi nomadic lives and depend on the glaciers. While the glaciers are melting there is less water and grass for the people and livestock that live up there.

Giam Nicolay left his small village in the Alps and came back 25 years later, the landscape had changed dramatically. Climate change is happening in the Alps yet many people do not understand what is going on but they can see, feel and experience the effects. The landscape is changing. Many people are leaving especially the farmers but they are needed. The people are also concerned about the landslides, which have wiped out many small alpine villages. Climate change is an issue of justice and the cultural dimension is very hard to show.

Angelica Canchumani is a healer in her village in Peru and spoke no english so she was translated, which made it even more compelling. "We need to harmonize with mother earth, she is dying , she gives us life. Main father is sacred mountain and takes care of us and gives us life but, he is drying up and we are running out of water. We cannot grow anymore food to sell, we must use chemicals but we will not because that is poisoning mother earth. People don't believe mother earth is alive anymore but she is sick. Mother earth is alive, you plant a seed and get food from her. Without the water you cannot live." Angelica wants to continue the traditions and strengthen them in her village. Someone asked the question "Angelica what strategies do you have to adapt to climate change in your village?" Angelica's response was the rituals to the sacred mountains and mother earth, she needs love too. Rituals toward mother water. Everything is alive and we must show respect for them.


The overall message of the mountain people was, we don't know, we don't understand but we can see it and we suffer. I think this is a heart breaking message because while we in the US haggle over numbers and deadlines people all around the world are suffering and many don't understand or have the tools to help save themselves and their loved ones.