Global warming threatens climbing tourism in Nepal

ArabiaWeather.com- The melting of glaciers warns of the possibility of more deadly disasters, such as the avalanche that occurred at the summit of Everest last month, and therefore climate change and global warming threaten mountaineering tourism in Nepal, according to what scientists and specialists said.

More than two thousand foreign climbers come to Nepal annually to climb Everest, which is the highest peak in the world (8850 meters), as this tourism generates about $ 3.4 million annually for the country.

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal, stated in a report that global warming led to the shrinkage of the total area of glaciers by nearly a quarter between 1977 and 2010, at a rate of 38 km annually.

Reuters quoted chief author of the report, Samgwal Baghrachrya, as saying that the occurrence of avalanches, such as the one that struck the climbing camp at the base of Mount Everest last month, may be repeated due to global warming, according to Al Jazeera Net.

The avalanche that occurred on April 18th, killing 16 guides, is the worst disaster ever seen on Mount Everest.

It is noteworthy that nearly 60 people were killed in May 2012 in the famous Annapurna summit area in western Nepal, after strong floods, triggered by an avalanche, swept Nepalese homes.