Did you know that the mountains cover 22% of the planet’s surface and that they provide fresh water, energy and food?
International Mountain Day has been celebrated as a proposal of the United Nations General Assembly since 2003, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the coordinating agency.
Why are the mountains so important?
We have plenty of reasons to say that the mountains are important, but some of the most striking are these ones:
- The mountains cover 22 per cent of the planet’s surface.
- In the mountains lives 15 per cent of the planet’s population, about one billion people.
- More than half of the world’s population depend on the mountains to provide themselves with food, water and energy.
- Many communities living in high regions depend on the mountains, but people living in lowland areas also depend on them.
- Mountains play a fundamental role in the generation of renewable energies, especially hydro, solar, wind and biogas.
On this date, mountains are highlighted as one of the first indicators of climate change. Rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting, affecting freshwater supplies for millions of people.
As we can see, mountains are in danger due not only to climate change, but also to soil degradation and overexploitation of resources.
That’s why we call to reduce our carbon footprint and take care of this natural treasure.
Sources:
https://www.diainternacionalde.com/ficha/dia-internacional-montanyas
https://www.un.org/es/observances/mountain-day