An urgent call to protect the world's "Third Pole" | Tshering Tobgay

Summary

The speaker reflects on political stunts involving climate change awareness, such as underwater and high-altitude cabinet meetings, and how they initially failed to resonate. However, a report on the rapid melting of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas deeply alarmed him, revealing the urgent threat posed by climate change to millions of people in the region. He proposes the formation of a 'Third Pole Council,' an intergovernmental body tasked with protecting the glaciers, emphasizing the need for regional cooperation to combat global warming and prevent disastrous consequences for humanity.

Takeaways

• 🌊 In 2009, Maldives' President Nasheed held an underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the threat of climate change and rising sea levels.
• 🏔️ Nepal's Prime Minister held a cabinet meeting at Mount Everest's base camp to draw attention to melting Himalayan glaciers.
• 📊 A report by ICIMOD warned that one-third of the Hindu Kush Himalaya's ice could melt by the end of the century if global warming is limited to 1.5°C.
• ❄️ The Hindu Kush Himalaya is the world's third-largest ice repository, crucial for maintaining regional water supplies.
• 🔥 Global warming is causing glaciers to melt faster, leading to increased rain and less snow, which is detrimental to glacier health.
• 🌧️ Increased rain and melting glaciers will lead to more intense rain, flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods.
• 💧 The melting glaciers threaten the water supply for 1.6 billion people downstream, including major rivers originating from the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
• 🌍 The situation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya affects not just the region but has global implications, including potential climate refugees and conflicts over water.
• 🌿 The speaker proposes the establishment of the Third Pole Council, an intergovernmental agency to protect the world's third-largest ice repository.
• 🌿 The Third Pole Council would involve regional countries and stakeholders to monitor glacier health and implement policies to protect them.
• ⏰ There is an urgent need for global action to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution to prevent major catastrophes caused by climate change.

Q & A

What was the purpose of President Mohamed Nasheed's underwater cabinet meeting in 2009?

President Mohamed Nasheed held the underwater cabinet meeting to draw global attention to the threat of rising sea levels due to climate change, which could drown the Maldives.

How did the speaker initially react to the Maldives and Nepal's political stunts related to climate change?

The speaker viewed both events as political stunts and did not lose sleep over them. While the Maldives' situation felt distant, the Nepal event concerned him, but he still did not let it affect him deeply.

What alarming information did the speaker come across in the report published in 2019?

The report warned that one-third of the ice in the Hindu Kush Himalayas could melt by the end of the century if global warming was limited to 1.5°C, and much more ice could disappear if warming exceeded that level.

Why are the Hindu Kush Himalayas referred to as the 'Third Pole'?

The Hindu Kush Himalayas are called the 'Third Pole' because they are the world's third-largest repository of ice, after the North and South Poles.

What are the key factors accelerating the melting of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas?

The key factors include global warming, which causes more rain and less snow, and pollution, particularly black carbon, which absorbs heat and speeds up glacial melting.

How would the melting of the Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers affect the local population?

The melting glaciers would lead to more flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outbursts, causing destruction in a region already home to some of the poorest people on Earth.

How does the speaker emphasize the broader global impact of melting glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas?

The speaker highlights that the rivers originating from these glaciers provide critical water for 1.6 billion people, and disruptions to this water supply could lead to floods, droughts, and potentially destabilize the region, affecting the entire planet.

What solution does the speaker propose to address the challenges posed by melting glaciers?

The speaker proposes the establishment of the 'Third Pole Council,' an intergovernmental organization to protect the glaciers and coordinate policies and actions among the eight countries in the region.

Why does the speaker believe individual local efforts are insufficient to combat climate change?

The speaker argues that localized efforts, while important, cannot stand up to the scale of global climate change. The region must come together and act collectively to have a meaningful impact.

What role do China and India play in addressing the climate crisis in the region, according to the speaker?

China and India, being the region's powerful giants and significant contributors to pollution, must take ownership in reducing their greenhouse gases, controlling pollution, and leading the global fight against climate change.