International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change
Kathmandu, Nepal
From: 05.04.2012 to: 06.04.2012
International Conference of Mountain Countries (5-6 April 2012, Nepal)
Climate science 'needs greater social science input'
"The climate isn't the only thing changing," said Michael Glantz, director of the Consortium of Capacity Building at the University of Colorado, at the International Conference of Mountain Countries held from 5 to 6 April 2012 in Kathmandu (Nepal). Dr Glantz noted that social behaviours also have a direct impact on the climate and need to be studied.
"They are linked in a very complex way," Masayoshi Nakawo echoed, noting that some social problems typically blamed on climate change, such as water shortages, can have predominantly social causes.
In his research in China, Nakawo, executive director of the National Institutes for the Humanities in Japan, found that reforestation policies had increased, rather than decreased, the demand for water.
The measures had restricted access to traditional sheep pastures in mountain regions, forcing nomadic pastoral communities to take up lowland farming, increasing the demand for water. The meeting in Nepal was attended by around 30 country representatives, and concluded with a 'Kathmandu Call for Action', with a view to highlighting the specific needs of mountain countries at international negotiations, including the forthcoming Rio+20 Summit in June.
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Kathmandu Call for Action
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