Academy in an Area at Risk from Glacial Melting

The seventh Plant-for-the Planet Academy in Nepal was held in the Khimti Project School located at Kirne of Dolakha District on 2nd March 2014. 

 

Kirne is one of the villages most vulnerable to Global Warming village, which could at get swiped away at any time by the bursting of  Tsho Rolpa Glacial Lake. Although several measures have been taken by building a dam in the Lake, it is not possible to stop it’s bursting until we stop Climate Change. For more than sixteen years, the villagers have been relying on the sensors which were setup by the Khimti Hydro Power Plant in order to get advance information if anything goes wrong with the Glacial Lake.

The understanding of local issues, regarding the Glacial lake was not just a perfect example for us but a bitter reality to discuss with the students about the effects of Climate Change and why should we fight for climate justice . Were any of those children responsible for the forecasted outburst of the Glacial Lake? – No. But, they are the ones whose life is in peril. How long can the artificial dam hold the melting ice at 4500 meters above sea level?

Moving ahead with the academy curriculum and local issues, students from different schools came up with sustainable action plans to prevent the effects of Climate Change, lobby the responsible authority towards zero carbon emissions and aware civilians about the catastrophie we may soon face.

Global warming not just melts the ice in arctic and greenland to rise the sea level; the melting ice in the Himalayas can affect millions of people living downstream who depend on the mountain ecosystem for their daily life. 

The Academy, organised in cooperation of The Khimti Project School was moderated by former global board president Sagar Aryal and Ambassador Sudeep Ghimire, who was a former student of the school. The Academy inducted 46 new Climate Justice Ambassadors.