| In the massif of the Himalayas stands Mount Everest, the highest point on the planet at 29,028 feet (8,848 m). In Nepali the mountain is called Sagarmatha, «He whose head touches the sky,» and in Tibetan it is called Chomolongma, «Mother Goddess of the world.» The name Everest comes from the British colonel George Everest, who in 1852 was commissioned to map the landscapes of India. It was not until May 29, 1953, that the «roof of the world» was climbed by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Although they may seem invincible and unchanging, the Himalayas are actually in the midst of profound ecological change. The rise in temperatures in the region (+1.8°F, or +1°C since 1970) is causing the glaciers to melt and the mountain lakes are filling so quickly that some forty of them are in danger of overflowing within five years, threatening the lives of millions of people in the valleys below. At the current rate, the glaciers of the Himalayas, like all mountain glaciers worldwide, could disappear within 40 years. The consequences would be enormous; mountain areas provide water for half of the world’s population. |
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